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Can Israeli Shas Party Outlive Its Spiritual Leader?

No man has shaped the face of modern Israel as has the spiritual leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, the official king of Sephardic Judaism, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.
A Shas supporter, wearing a poster of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef the spiritual leader of the ultra-orthodox Shas party, joins thousands of other supporters outside the Rabbi's home March 27 after Israel's attorney-general ordered police to investigate the Rabbi on suspicion of incitement against a political adversary. [Shas' support is vital to Ehud Barak's hopes of making peace with Syria and the Palestinians. The police probe stems from remarks Yosef made about Education Minister Yossi Sarid, calling him a devil
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They have always made a pilgrimage to him. No other figure in Israel has been sought after by so many politicians, public figures and ordinary people. Although he lived as a recluse in his small home in Jerusalem, everyone made a pilgrimage to him, whether it was to receive his blessing or support, merit a prayer from his lips or especially enjoy the wondrous touch of his hand, whether in a caress or of course a gentle slap on the cheek.

As he got older, his power only grew. As he grew weaker, he only grew stronger. As he lost his capacity to speak, his unclear words were accepted by his many acolytes as the words of God that came down to earth. No other man has shaped the face of Israel in the last three decades like Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, 93, a man of the book and a man of contemplation who distanced himself from others, but whose very presence paved new roads in Israeli politics. With a stroke of his hand he helped build a coalition — with a similar stroke he caused its dismantling. Only a few have understood his religious-legal rulings and decisions, but everyone knew he had the last word. In religious law as well as in political rulings.  

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