Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef participated in the Shabbat services, to the great delight of regular congregants.
By GREER FAY CASHMANPresident Shimon Peres meets with Sepahrdi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, April 20, 2014.(photo credit: GPO)
• National flags were flying from the upper level of the Yissa Bracha Sephardi Synagogue in Talbiyeh last weekend. The reason for the festive décor: Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef participated in the Shabbat services, to the great delight of regular congregants – who dedicated the entire Shabbat to Torah study.• Although it has been announced that the Yosef family plans to sell the Har Nof apartment in which late Shas spiritual mentor and former Sephardi chief rabbi Ovadia Yosef had lived with one of his sons and daughter-in-law, the Shas influence in the municipality and the Jerusalem District Planning and Construction Committee is preventing the construction of a synagogue adjacent to the building on Hakablan Street where Yosef resided. Applications for the construction of the synagogue have been consistently turned down.Interestingly, the Keter Haim organization that wants to build the synagogue has, as one of its prominent members, Shas renegade Rabbi Haim Amsalem, one of the founding members of Shas and a former party MK. Amsalem broke away from Shas and formed his own party, but failed to pass the threshold to secure a Knesset seat. He has been an outspoken critic of Shas and has earned the wrath of its leaders, who continue to put stumbling blocks in his path.• Former city councilor Rabbi Haim Miller, who heads the Movement for Jerusalem and its Residents, appealed to the Knesset Public Petitions Committee against the high level of taxes imposed on residential and business premises in the capital – especially in view of the fact that it is already known taxes will be raised in 2015. It is difficult enough for people who live in difficult economic circumstances, but the situation will be exacerbated in 2015, noted Miller.His appeal was rejected by the committee on the grounds that if the municipality raises tax rates, it does so in accordance with Article 8a in the Arrangements Law, which stipulates that it can only do so with the approval of the Interior and Finance Ministries. Local municipalities are also subject to the dictates of the Interior Ministry.• MKs who are from out of town and want to live in Jerusalem for the period they are in-office are entitled to a rental subsidy. Labor MK Stav Shaffir, who is among the legislators qualifying for such a subsidy, likes Jerusalem and would have loved to find a suitable apartment – but most of the places she was shown were too large for her needs. In the instances of apartments that were suitable, the prospective landlords, upon learning her identity, did not want her as a tenant. Some made up feeble excuses, but others told her this straight out, she said in an interview on Army Radio.The reason: Shaffir was one of the leaders of the social justice demonstrations in Tel Aviv, and the more conservative Jerusalemites do not want protests on their doorsteps. The fact that the demonstrations are history – though Shaffir continues to champion social justice – did not carry any weight with people who were reluctant to rent their apartments to her.So in the final analysis, she went back to Tel Aviv and found an apartment there.• Although widely known as a man of Jerusalem, President-elect Reuven Rivlin is already proving he will be the president of all the people. Last Friday, accompanied by his wife, Nechama, he went shopping for suits to wear in his new role. Although his former Knesset colleagues from Shas, who are always smartly attired, could have given him several useful addresses in Jerusalem, Rivlin opted to look for new suits in Tel Aviv – and was seen being fitted in a store in the Gan Ha’ir mall.• Some 1,000 women participated in a Women’s Empowerment conference organized by the women of Nishma and the Shomron Regional Council. As is happening at events all over the country, all those present were asked to recite Psalms for the safe return of the three kidnap victims, Gil-Ad Shaer, Naftali Fraenkel and Eyal Yifrah. The act of faith was made even more poignant by the presence of Racheli Fraenkel and Hadas Vichner, cousins of Naftali, who arguably recited the Psalms with just a fraction more fervor than any of the other women.The entertainment line-up included singer Sarit Hadad, who joined in reciting the Psalms and with tears streaming down her face, embraced the cousins and said she hoped with all her heart that the boys would soon be returned home safe and sound.• Following his highly acclaimed performance last week at the Israel Festival in Jerusalem, where he hosted Esther Ofarim – who specially returned to Israel for the occasion – in August it will be Yehoram Gaon’s turn to be hosted, and it will be interesting to hear which Hassidic songs he has included in his repertoire.On Tu Be’Av, this year on August 10, Gaon will be hassidic singer Avraham Fried’s guest at the Sultan’s Pool. Tu Be’Av is the most popular date for weddings in the Jewish calendar. In ancient times, it was a day of matchmaking in which the unmarried young women of Jerusalem, dressed in white, would go out into the vineyards in hopes of attracting a husband.
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