Community Magazine December 2013

A Priest’s Request The goal of these volumes is to expose readers to Hacham Ovadia Yosef’s extraordinary knowledge and love of Torah, his ahavat Yisrael , his restoration of Sephardic pride and fame, and other remarkable achievements. To give us a sense of what to expect, Yehuda shared a story that underscores Hacham Ovadia’s exceptional character and spiritual sensitivity: “Not long ago, one of the heads of the Catholic Church in France, who was once a candidate for the papacy, passed away. This priest in fact was a Jew whose parents gave him to the Church during the Holocaust. The child was raised with the best in Catholic education and eventually rose to a very prominent position in the Church. Before his passing, the former Chief Rabbi of France, Hagaon Harav Yosef Sitruk, visited the sickly priest. The priest asked the rabbi that after he died, someone should please recite Kaddish for him, for he was indeed a Jew by the name of Aaron Levy. After the priest’s passing, Harav Sitruk posed this issue toMaran Harav OvadiaYosef zt”l. Upon hearing this story, Maran began to cry, and he ruled that the priest’s request should be granted, for even when a Jew sins, he is still a Jew. Moreover, this Jew fell into this position due to his parents’ desperate efforts to save him from the Nazi killing machine, and thus he should certainly not be judged like an apostate Jew for whom Kaddish is not recited. And so, during the funeral procession, the priest’s coffin was taken out of the Church for several minutes and was accompanied by 10 Jewish men along with former President Nicholas Sarkozy, at which point Kaddish was recited, creating a spectacular kiddush Hashem [glorification of Gd’s Name].” “An Ever Flowing Wellspring” When asked about his personal relationship with Maran, Yehuda humbly shied away from the question. He did, however, fondly recall that when he presented Hacham Ovadia with a book he authored, Maran “was astonished and impressed that a Sephardic boy writes only about Sephardic rabbis.” Hacham Ovadia gave Yehuda and the Sephardic Legacy Series two separate, enthusiastic endorsements over the years, and constantly blessed Yehuda that he should follow the path of the Sepharadim and the legacy of the Sephardic Hachamim. “Sometimes,” recounts Yehuda, “the hacham simply nodded his head and didn’t say anything. He hugged and kissed me, and lovingly slapped my face. Hopefully, this expressed his approval and appreciation of my work.” Yehuda met with Maran many times over the past decade, and even prayed with Maran on Yom Kippur and Sukkot the last four years. On numerous occasions, Hacham Ovadia met his children and conversed with his wife. Once, Yehuda presented Hacham Ovadia with four of his Sephardic Legacy Series publications, and the hacham said, “People don’t even write one page on hachamim. They don’t recognize their own identity. And here you are writing books and articles about our hachamim!” Hacham Ovadia entrusted Yehuda with the task of translating Anaf Etz Avot – Father of the Ethics , a commentary on Pirke Avot , a project which the Sephardic Legacy Series Institute is currently working on. Yehuda was also encouraged by Maran and many officials of the Shas political party to participate in a Shas-affiliated organization inAmerica. “He was like a ma’ayan hamitgaber – an ever flowing wellspring of Torah and greatness,” Yehuda describes. “When the well was weakening and drying up, it hurt me. It tore me apart and affected me on every level.” The Inaugural Event On November 20th, the Sephardic Legacy Series Institute held a Sephardic Jewry inaugural event in Washington D.C. to pay tribute to the contributions of Sephardic American Jewry, and commemorate the life of Hacham Ovadia zt”l . In attendance at this historic, high profile event were Jewish leaders of the business, educational, cultural and political worlds in North America, as well as community rabbis, scholars, educators and disciples of Hacham Ovadia hailing from around the country. This tribute luncheon coincided with the launching of The Sephardi Journey – Sephardi Contributions Throughout History , and The Legacy of Maran Hacham Ovadia Yosef. The event honored Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, Rabbi of the Edmond J. Safra Congregation, NY; Mr. Jacob Abecassis, entrepreneur and founder of SCOT (Sephardic Community of Toronto); Mr. Daniel J. Harari, founder of SAM (SephardicAcademy of Manhattan); and Mr. Raymond Saka, Vice President of Sakar International and cofounder of The Saka Edition – Hebrew/English Yalkut Yosef ,” an English translation of the seminal halachic work authored by the current Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, shelit”a, based on the rulings of his illustrious father. Members of Congress cited the honorees for their contributions to Sephardic Jewry in the United States of America, and Senator Chuck Schumer spoke of maintaining the Jewish Iraqi archives and preserving them where they rightfully belong – in America. The Sephardic delegation also enjoyed an exclusive tour of the White House. “My goal is for everyone to network and assist one another with a common goal in preserving our Sephardic heritage, and this event is the only way how to do it these days,” says Yehuda. The Sephardic Legacies Series Institute will also be having an event in Deal this summer, and efforts are underway to arrange for the participation of Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef. An Unbroken Chain Yehuda says that his “war song” is, “Return to your roots. Return to your heritage. Follow the paths of Maran, learning the breadth of Torah and returning the crown to its ancient glory.” HachamOvadia dedicated his life to motivating and inspiring Sephardic Jewry to return to the path of Torah observance, and the fruits of his efforts can be seen right here in our community. The Sephardic Legacy Series Institute seeks to expand that success to Sephardic Jews around the world. “Look right into our own backyard and see our glorious and beautiful Sephardic communities,” Yehuda says. “It is my hope to create for Sephardic Jews everywhere a pride in their heritage and an intensified faith in Hashem and His Torah. We must maintain our mesorah for our future generations or it will be lost. This is it, this is the last calling.” TEVET 5774 DECEMBER 2013 37