These days Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is fighting for his life. Yosef, 93, one of the most important halachic (Jewish religious law) scholars of recent generations, changed the face of Israeli society and politics and still constitutes one of its most significant forces. Over the years the rabbi was as sensitive as a seismograph to his followers’ sentiments. He was then, and still is, one of the greatest influences on the peace process in the region. Large segments of the Israeli public are following his declining health with trepidation.
In 1979, long before Ultra-Orthodox Shas party was established and became a strong and influential movement, Yosef was the country’s chief Sephardic rabbi. On the agenda was the peace agreement with Egypt, which for the first time in the history of the state entailed a return of land.
