Shas pushes national day of remembrance for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef

Bill would establish state memorial day dedicated to the memory of the late Chief Rabbi, Shas leader Ovadia Yosef.

Israel National News

The Shas party has submitted a bill which would enshrine the anniversary of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s passing as a state-recognized memorial day, Channel 2 has reported.

At present the state recognizes four official memorial days or days of remembrance in honor of specific individuals: Theodor Herzl Day, Zeev Jabotinsky Day, Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Day, and Ben-Gurion Day.

The bill would establish a state-funded committee charged with organizing events for the new memorial day. In addition, state schools would be required to mark the new remembrance day in class.

Aside from the Shas party, which currently has seven seats, the bill reportedly also has the backing of the Jewish Home, the Likud, and Kulanu.

Born in Baghdad in 1920, Rabbi Yosef served as Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983, and later joined together with Rabbi Elazar Menachem Man Shach to found the Shas party, which first ran for Knesset in 1984. In October 2013, Rabbi Yosef passed away at the age of 93. If the proposed bill is passed, it would establish the 3rd of Heshvan as national day of remembrance for Rabbi Yosef.