Life & contribution
Baghdad-born rabbinic authority who later served as Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel and became one of the most influential Sephardi halakhic figures of the modern era.
Detailed biography & historical context
Baghdad-born rabbinic authority who later served as Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel and became one of the most influential Sephardi halakhic figures of the modern era.
The documented record currently assembled for Ovadia Yosef includes the following: Born in Baghdad in 1920 and raised in Jerusalem after his family moved there in 1924, he became one of the most prolific Sephardi halakhic authorities of the twentieth century. Served as Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983 and authored major responsa collections including Yabia Omer and Yehaveh Da’at.
This biography belongs to the long Baghdadi rabbinic tradition centered on study houses, courts and communal institutions. The figure is significant not only for personal scholarship but also for the transmission of Iraqi Jewish religious learning across generations and, later, across diaspora communities.
Archive classification: Rabbinic Leadership. Recorded life dates/status: 1920–2013.
This profile synthesizes the documentary sources listed below; where the record is limited or contested, the dossier avoids unsupported detail.
Additional documented context
- Born in Baghdad in 1920 and raised in Jerusalem after his family moved there in 1924, he became one of the most prolific Sephardi halakhic authorities of the twentieth century.
- Served as Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983 and authored major responsa collections including Yabia Omer and Yehaveh Da’at.
Documentary references
Additional biographical details are tied to the source records below.
Permanent ID · IJHDA-PER-0023
This biographical figure record is integrated into Discover Jewish Iraq from the Virtual Embassy’s Iraqi Jewish heritage collection.