Former Israeli Chief Sephardic Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu dies at age 81

RABBI MORDECHAI Eliyahu, a former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, died on Monday June 7 in Jerusalem at the age of 81, following a long illness. He was laid to rest at the Har Menuchot Cemetery (Mount of Final Rest) in Jerusalem.

Born into a prominent rabbinic family in Jerusalem in 1929, the son of Rabbi Salman Eliyahu, a well-known Jerusalem Kabbalist, he was appointed leader of the Sephardic Rabbinate of Israel in 1983, a post he held for 10 years.

In the 1950s, Rabbi Eliyahu played an important role in a radical group that advocated the establishment of a Jewish theocracy in Israel. He was sentenced and served 10 months in prison for various

activities related to this.

One of his well-known positions since leaving the post of chief rabbi was when he spoke out against the Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories, particularly Israel’s 2005 evacuation of the Gaza Strip, led by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

In 1962 he was ordained as a religious judge, becoming the youngest person to serve in this capacity in Israel. During his life as a religious leader and one of the key spiritual leaders of the religious Zionist movement in Israel, he authored dozens of books on Jewish religious law and also created organisations and groups to disseminate the message of Jewish law throughout the country, articularly aiming his teachings towards secular Israelis.

In 1950, he was among the founders of “Brit HaKanaim” (“Covenant of the Zealots”), which aimed at imposing Jewish religious teachings in the life of Israel. His ultimate goal was to establish a halachic state. In 1983 he was named Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel – a position he held until 1993.

In April this year he suffered a heart attack and underwent emergency bypass surgery. After many setbacks following this operation, he passed away at the Shaare Zedek Medical Centre in Jerusalem.

After his death, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed him as “a leading spiritual leader of religious Zionism and a loyal disciple of our people”.

Source: South African Jewish Report Vol 14 Nr. 22

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