Ben Zion Abba Shaul

Ben Zion Abba Shaul was born in 1924 in Jerusalem

Ben Zion Abba Shaul was born in Jerusalem in 1924 to Eliyahu and Benaya Abba Shaul, immigrants from Iran. His father was a shoemaker and Torah scholar who served as gabbai of the Ohel Rachel synagogue. He was the eldest boy in a large and poor family.

He studied at Talmud Torah Bnei Zion and entered Porat Yosef Yeshiva at age 11. Among his teachers was Rabbi Ezra Attiya, the head of the yeshiva. His classmates included Ovadia Yosef and Mordechai Eliyahu.

In 1948 he married Hadassah, daughter of Rabbi Yosef Shaharbani, and their only son was Eliyahu. He taught at Talmud Torah Bnei Zion and lectured at Porat Yosef. In 1983 he became head of Porat Yosef, where he taught for hours each day and gave weekly classes at Ohel Rachel.

In 1983 he suffered a stroke and partial paralysis. He founded Ma'ayan HaChinuch HaTorani, a network of Torah schools for Sephardic children, and later the Ohr LeZion yeshiva with his son. He died in 1998 and was buried in the Sanhedria cemetery in Jerusalem.