Mordechai Eliyahu
[1][5] In his youth, Eliyahu attended Porat Yosef Yeshiva, and had the opportunity to learn from many great teachers such as Ezra Attiya, Sadqa Hussein, and Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz (the Chazon Ish).[1] "I felt that the Jews have an inferiority complex that causes them to be disrespected by others, which in turn affects the leadership...and we decided to found an organization whose purpose is to instill Jewish pride.They once plotted to toss a smoke bomb into the Knesset during a debate on drafting Orthodox women into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).Not wishing to upset the holy man, Eliyahu accepted the invitation, only to find out later that a disgruntled ex-litigant had gone to the beth din seeking to do him harm.On March 18, 1983, Eliyahu was appointed Rishon LeZion (Chief Rabbi of Israel) at the Yochanan Ben Zakai Synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.During his term as Chief Rabbi, one of Eliyahu's focuses was on attempting to reach out to secular Israeli Jews, giving them a better understanding of Jewish customs and their importance.He traveled extensively throughout Israel and the world, often together with Shapira, emphasizing the importance of Jewish education, Shabbat observance, niddah (family purity), fighting assimilation, and making aliyah.[8] In January of that year, Eliyahu stated that the 2004 tsunami was a (pre-emptive) "divine punishment" for Asian governments supporting the disengagement plan.[10] In May 2007, Eliyahu wrote a letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert which suggested "that there was absolutely no moral prohibition against the indiscriminate killing of civilians during a potential massive military offensive on Gaza aimed at stopping the rocket launchings".Shmuel Eliyahu explained that his father opposed a ground troop incursion into Gaza that would endanger IDF soldiers.In 2008, at a service to remember the death of 8 Israeli students killed in the Mercaz HaRav massacre, Eliyahu said, "Even when we seek revenge, it is important to make one thing clear – the life of one yeshiva boy is worth more than the lives of 1,000 Arabs.
JerusalemIsraeliJudaismHardalOvadia YosefEliyahu Bakshi-DoronHebrewHebrew calendarKabbalistBrit HaKanaimBeershebaRishon LeZionChief Rabbi of IsraelReligious ZionismMeir KahaneJonathan PollardIsraeli disengagement from GazaHar HaMenuchotJewish QuarterSalman EliyahuYehuda TzadkaHebraicisedYosef HayyimPorat Yosef YeshivaEzra AttiyaSadqa HusseinAvrohom Yeshaya KarelitzMordechai SharabiYaakov MutzafiYitzhak KaduriMenachem Mendel SchneersonJewish outreachShabbatKnessetIsrael Defense ForcesShin BetsemikhahYitzhak NissimChaim Yosef David AzulaiLivornoBaba SaliNetivotbeth dinOld City of JerusalemAshkenaziAvraham Shapirasecular Israeli JewsniddahassimilationaliyahmoshavimkibbutzimdiasporaReligious ZionistHaredi Judaismrabbinic authorityGush Katif2004 tsunamiIsraeli electionsKadimaOslo AccordsPrime MinisterEhud OlmertHolocaust Remembrance DayReformBinyamin Ze'ev KahaneMercaz HaRav massacreTalmudgentilesShulchan Aruchhalakhicprayer bookrosh yeshivaNachlaotShmuel EliyahuShaare Zedek Medical CenterJacob SafraKiryat MosheHakham BashiHamodiaThe Jerusalem PostJewish titlesChief Rabbinate of IsraelOld YishuvMoshe ben Yonatan GalanteMoshe ibn HabibIsrael Yaakov AlgaziRaphael Meyuchas ben ShmuelYom Tov AlgazyMoshe Yosef Mordechai MeyuchasYom Tov DanonChaim Abraham GaginYitzhak KovoChaim David HazanAvraham AshkenaziRaphael Meir PanigelYaakov Shaul ElyasharYaakov MeirEliyahu Moshe PanigelNew YishuvAbraham Isaac KookYitzhak HaLevi HerzogSephardiBen-Zion Meir Hai UzielChief Rabbis of IsraelIsser Yehuda UntermanShlomo GorenYisrael Meir LauYona MetzgerDavid LauKalman BerShlomo AmarYitzhak YosefDavid YosefShe'ar Yashuv CohenAryeh SternYaakov ShapiraYitzchak Dovid GrossmanYaakov RojaShimon ElituvAvraham YosefRatzon ArusiYitzhak PeretzOld CityRoshei yeshivaShalom Cohen