| RAV BEN-ZION MEIR OUZIEL (1880-1953): THE FIRST SEPHARADI CHIEF RABBI OF ISRAEL Born in Jerusalem in 1880, Ben-Zion Ouziel was the son of the Sepharadic community's Av Beit Din Rav Yoseph Rafael Ouziel. At age twenty, Rav Ben-Zion Ouziel was already a Yeshiva teacher, and in 1911, he became the leader of the Sepharadic Community of Jaffa. His goal was to raise the status of Sepharadic Jews who, at that time, encountered many persecutions under the Turkish government. Rav Ouziel served as the spokesman of his community and during World War I he was exiled to Damascus. Right before the beginning of the British mandate, he was given permission to return to Eretz Yisrael. He continued to represent his community and was respected by even the harshest critics. In 1921, he became the Chief Rabbi of the Jews in Salonika (Turkey). He stayed there for three years, and decided to come back to Eretz Yisrael in 1923 to become the chief Rabbi of Tel-Aviv. Later in 1939, Rav Ouziel was appointed Chief Sepharadic Rabbi in Israel. Rav Ouziel was a contemporary of Rav Abraham Yitschak Kook, the Ashkenazi chief Rabbi of Jaffa. His two main goals were to raise the status and educational level of the Sepharadic Jews, and to minimize the separation of the Ashkenazi and Sepharadic communities. Rav Ouziel always attempted to promote peace and love among the Jews. His motto, inspired by the prophet Zechariah was "Love, Truth and Peace". In 1939, Rav Ben-Zion Ouziel took part in the temporary committee called the Va'ad Leumi (National Council.) He helped found two important Yeshivot: the Machazikei Torah and the Sha'ar Zion. He wrote extensively for many of the newspapers and periodicals on various topics, which ranked from religious to political and national interests, as well as Jewish thought. Two days before his death, Rav Ouziel dictated his last will "I have kept in the forefront of my thoughts� to disseminate Torah among students, to love the Torah [and] Eretz Israel. I have emphasized to love every man and woman of Israel and for the Jewish people as a whole, love for the Lord G_d of Israel, the bringing of peace between every man and woman of Israel� to bring genuine peace into the home of the Jews, into the whole assembly of Israel� and between Israel and its Father in Heaven." He died in 1953, at the age of 73. Rav Ben-Zion Ouziel was an important figure in the first hours of the state of Israel. Like Aharon HaCohen, he constantly carried with him a message of love and peace while struggling and defending the members of his community. May his memory inspire all of us and bring peace among the Jews, so we could all be part of the one and united Am Yisrael. |