In a dramatic upheaval shaking Israel's influential Shas party, former Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef - son of the movement's legendary founder - finds himself caught in an unprecedented leadership crisis. Five months after stepping down as Israel's Chief Rabbi, the younger Yosef's expected ascension to the party's spiritual leadership remains mysteriously stalled.
Behind closed doors, a power struggle has erupted that threatens to tear at the fabric of Israel's largest Sephardic religious party. Party chairman Aryeh Deri's attempted compromise - a shared leadership structure reminiscent of Shas's golden years - collapsed spectacularly when key spiritual leader Rabbi Avraham Salim not only withdrew support but threatened resignation.
"We haven't seen anything like this in over a decade," whispered one Shas parliament member, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The party is holding its breath."
The crisis has ignited fury among grassroots supporters, who see the blocking of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's son as nothing short of betrayal. "How dare those who once fought against Maran [Rabbi Ovadia Yosef] now block his son?" demanded one party activist, referring to historical tensions within the Sephardic religious community.
Adding fuel to the fire, recent Chief Rabbinate elections exposed the rift when Deri and the younger Yosef backed different candidates - a rare public display of discord in a party known for maintaining a unified front.
Despite Deri's diplomatic visits, including a high-profile Sukkot holiday appearance at Yosef's residence, tensions continue to simmer. The party finds itself walking a tightrope between its traditional base and newer constituencies, including what insiders call "Ashkenazified Sephardim" - Sephardic Jews who've adopted more Lithuanian-style Orthodox practices.
As this crisis enters its sixth month, the question echoing through Jerusalem's religious neighborhoods isn't just about one rabbi's position - it's about the future direction of Sephardic religious leadership in Israel. With each passing day, the absence of Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef from the Council of Torah Sages becomes more glaring, and the silence from party leadership more deafening.
For a movement built on the legacy of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, this standoff over his son's role marks more than a political crisis - it's a moment of reckoning for Shas's soul.
