Baruch Abuhatzeira

Baruch Abuhatzeira was born in 1941 in Erfoud

Baruch Abuhatzeira was born in 1941 in Erfoud, in the Tafilalt region of Morocco. His father, Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira, known as the Baba Sali, served as the district's rabbi.

He studied at the Abir Yaakov yeshiva, run by his father, and was ordained as a rabbi, ritual slaughterer and mohel. He came to Israel with his father in 1954 and studied in Jerusalem at the Tiferet Zion and Porat Yosef yeshivas, then returned to Morocco. After marrying Vivian Bar Sheshet he moved to Paris.

In the 1960s he settled in Ashkelon and entered politics. He was deputy mayor of Ashkelon from 1970 to 1978 and led the local National Religious Party faction. In 1980 he was convicted of taking bribes and served 5 years in Maasiyahu prison, though he has denied wrongdoing.

In 1984, during the mourning week for his father, he wore his father's robe and declared himself his heir. He has since headed the court and yeshiva in Netivot, which expanded to include the Be'er Miriam schools. In recent years his son, Rabbi Moshe Abuhatzeira, has run the institutions.

He is close to the Shas party. In August 2022 the Tel Aviv District Court ruled that 59 million shekels deposited in his and his son Yehuda's accounts were taxable income. He is married to Vivian and has 4 daughters and 3 sons.