Ovadia YosefBirth Chart

Ovadia Yosef was an Iraqi–Israeli rabbi and Talmudic jurist, recognized as one of the leading Sephardic authorities in halakhah in the 20th century. As a rosh yeshiva, prolific author and decisor, he published influential works — including Yabia Omer and Hazon Ovadia — that established his reputation among Haredi and Mizrahi communities. He received rabbinic ordination at a young age and served on rabbinical courts, culminating in his election as Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel (1972–1983).

Beyond his scholarly and judicial work, Yosef played a central role in organizing Sephardic religious education, founding yeshivot and promoting communal leadership to preserve traditions and train future rabbis. He also founded and served as the spiritual leader of the political party Shas, shaping the political representation of Sephardic Jews in Israel.

His halakhic rulings and public lectures, broadcast to tens of thousands of listeners, influenced the religious practice of broad segments of the population. Celebrated by supporters as a Gadol Yisrael, his legacy endures in both his legal writings and in the institutionalization of Sephardic orthodoxy within Israel’s religious and political landscape.