Jerusalem – Shas Holds Commemorative Event Marking 11 Months Since The Death Of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (Photos)

Jerusalem – The Shas movement was holding on Thursday the first of numerous commemorative events this month for the passing of its former spiritual leader and revered rabbi Ovadia Yosef in Jerusalem’s International Conference Center.

The event comes as a new poll conducted by the Dialogue Institute for Haaretz published on Thursday showed Shas’ support down to just seven seats from its current representation in the Knesset of 11 MKs.

Earlier this month, a poll for Channel 2 by Mina Tzemach showed Shas down to 8 seats.

The commemoration conference on Thursday night marks the end of the eleven-month mourning period in which children of someone who has passed away say the Kaddish mourners prayer. A final memorial event for Yosef will take place at the end of this month marking the year anniversary since his death.

Speakers at Thursday night’s Shas event were scheduled to include an all-star line up of the movement’s rabbis, including the new hardline and outspoken spiritual guide of the movement and president of its four-member Council of Torah Sages Rabbi Shalom Cohen who will deliver the main address.

Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, one of Rabbi Ovadia’s sons will also speak as will the Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s youngest son, Rabbi David Yosef, who was appointed as the newest member of the Council of Torah Sages following the death of his father.

One notable absentee from the conference will be former Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar who was at one stage considered a potential successor to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef before the two had a serious falling-out over the 2013 elections for the new chief rabbis.

MK Moshe Gafni of the Ashkenazi haredi party United Torah Judaism said on Thursday he was exceedingly worried by Shas’ decline in the polls.

“Our main battles in Knesset are against secularization,” Gafni said at a recent symposium in comments reported by the Kooker haredi news website.

“I tremble that the Shas party will lose several seats, and that this will damage haredi Judaism.”

Political commentator and former Shas spokesman Roi Lachmanovitz said of Thursday’s polling results that it was a natural result of the direction the party has chosen since Rabbi Ovadia’s death.

He noted, as have several other Shas observers in recent months, that the decision to appoint Rabbi Shalom Cohen, a strict and fiery yeshiva dean with little connection to the public, as spiritual head of the movement has reduced the appeal of the party to the more traditional, less haredi, component of its former voter base.

Cohen has never held public office and neither has he served as an arbiter of Jewish law or rabbinic judge, positions which help connect rabbis to the people seeking advice and assistance with their daily concerns.

He has made a series of controversial comments in recent months, including a ruling that women are prohibited from engaging in academic studies and a statement at a prayer rally, during Operation Protective Edge, that Israel does not need an army since God fights for the Jewish people.

“Shas needs to decide what its priorities are,” said Lachmanovitz. “Is it still talking about being a Sephardi, traditional party of the broader community or will it be a strictly haredi party like its Ashkenazi counterpart United Torah Judaism.”

“If it continues in its current direction into the next elections then for sure it will lose Knesset seats.”

Lachmanovitz also pointed to the way in which Cohen reached his position as “Maran,” the honorary title bestowed on Ovadia Yosef and now used by the party in reference to their new spiritual leader.

“No-one appointed Rabbi Ovadia to be Maran. He had support on the ground from the people. Cohen was appointed from above, it’s not that the people chose him to be a leader,” he said.

Lachmanovitz noted that the only senior Sephardi rabbi with a significant measure of public support and influence was Rabbi Amar but doubted whether the poor relations between him, Shas chairman MK Arye Deri and the rest of the Shas leadership can now be repaired.

Deri is thought responsible for torpedoing legislation that could have allowed Amar to stand for election for chief rabbi. Ever since Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s death, Amar has stepped up his public exposure and sought to widen his appeal and support.
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