Avraham Yosef - Biography

Harav Avraham Yosef is the Chief Rabbi of Holon, Israel and is a Sephardi representative on the Chief Rabbinate Council (Moetzet Harabbanut Harashit).

Background

Harav Avraham Yosef is a son of Shas' spiritual leader, and former Israeli Chief Rabbi, Ovadia Yosef, and a brother of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, a Jerusalem politician who was a member of the Eleventh Knesset.

Chief Rabbi of Holon

Dr. Nissim Leon, of Bar-Ilan University, researches the Shas movement and says that Avraham Yosef is a new rising star worthy of note for the political party. Leon states that, "Rabbi Avraham Yosef is building up his reputation using a similar method to his father's, combining halakhic rulings with lectures and classes for large audiences. Among other things, he is a very popular halakhic arbiter on the ultra-Orthodox radio station, Radio Kol Hai."

2007 Rabbinate shmita decision

During 2007, Sephardic and Ashkenazi rabbis were at odds over whether to allow the sale of fruit and vegetables during shmita. Later in the year, the Chief Rabbinate set up a special body, headed by Rabbi Ze'ev Weitman, and Rabbi Avraham Yosef to implement heter mechira.