Rabbi Ovadia Yosef

Right-wing activist Yehuda Glick holding a book depicting the Jewish Temple while standing in front of the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, May 21, 2009. (Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Why religious Jews are divided over the Temple Mount

As tensions between Jews and Muslims come to a head in Jerusalem, it is worth remembering that one of Israel’s most prominent rabbis strictly forbade Jews from visiting Judaism’s holiest site in the wake of the Six-Day War. By Nissim Leon Recent news reflects a surge in conflict between Muslims and Jews in Israel surrounding…

By Haokets November 22, 2014

A Palestinian child in Gaza on the third day of Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012. (Activestills.org)

Why are there are no white flags in Gaza?

Israel may think that bombing – and killing – innocents is a viable strategy. But there is a better option: to actually understand what has been driving Palestinian resistance for all these decades. Point out the barbarity of Israel’s ongoing attacks against Gaza – as of this writing, more than 80 killed, a quarter of…

By Samer Badawi July 10, 2014

From left to right: MK Hanin Zoabi, Jerusalem Mayor Ron Barkat, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai (photo: Activestills/U.S. Embassy)

Why are Jerusalem leftists voting for a pro-settlement mayor?

Over 5 million Israelis have the right to vote in the municipal elections today. National politics are not as directly reflected in municipal polls as they were in the past – when Likud and Labor used those as platform for securing their parties’ political machines (plus, there just isn’t much of a competition in the…

By Noam Sheizaf October 22, 2013

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Mourners wail at the funeral of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, October 7, 2013 (Photo: Yotam Ronen/Activestills.org)

Fifty shades of black: Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s funeral

For a secular Jewish woman in Jerusalem, the funeral of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef presented an opportunity to cross one of the city’s strongest yet invisible boundaries – entering the bowels of the ultra-Orthodox world. By Michelle Bubis When you belong to the dwindling minority of secular Jewish progressives in Jerusalem, it’s hard to sustain more…

By +972 Magazine October 8, 2013

Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef (Wkimeida Commons CC BY SA 3.0)

Sephardic spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef passes away at 93

Former Sephardic chief rabbi and spiritual leader of Shas was known for efforts to reconcile Jewish law with modernity, advance the status of Mizrahi Jews in the Israeli religious establishment and in Israeli politics and society. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of the Sephardic-Haredi Shas party passed away Monday at the age of 93.…

By +972 Magazine October 7, 2013