Rabbi Ovadia Yosef – King of the Sephardim: Film Screening and Conversation with the Director

The second meeting in the "Wednesday at the Hut" series is devoted to the figure of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, through a screening of the documentary "Rabbi Ovadia Yosef: King of the Sephardim", which offers a broad, in-depth and personal look at Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and the Israeli society in which he worked and had influence. After the screening there will be a meeting with the film's director, Ofer Pinhasov. Who burned Rabbi Ovadia's first book? Why did Menachem Begin summon him in the middle of the night? What lay behind his stance on the Temple Mount, the Oslo Accords and the "Tze BaHutz" incident? And what really happened between him and Aryeh Deri? Director Ofer Pinhasov devoted four years to research and to making the film "Rabbi Ovadia Yosef: King of the Sephardim", a journey into the life of one of the most influential and intriguing figures in the history of Israeli society. Pinhasov brings to the screen a human, social and national story, made with an approach of closeness and love. The film includes intimate interviews and rare, previously unpublished archival material, and reveals lesser-known sides of the rabbi's life: his relations with the country's leaders, his positions on crucial issues, his contribution to the immigration of Ethiopian Jews, his relationship with Aryeh Deri and events that became turning points in Israeli history. Program: 9:00 Gathering 9:30-11:00 "Rabbi Ovadia Yosef: King of the Sephardim" – screening 11:00-11:30 Break: coffee and pastries 11:30-12:30 Rest of the screening, and a conversation with director Ofer Pinhasov