Yosef Qafih

Yosef Qafih was born in 1917 in Sanaa

Yosef Qafih was born in Sanaa, Yemen, in 1917. His father, Rabbi David Qafih, died before Yosef was a year old, and his mother died when he was 5. He was raised by his grandfather, Rabbi Yihyah Qafih, who taught him Torah.

After his grandfather died, rivals in the community informed the authorities that he was an orphan, which put him at risk of forced conversion to Islam. To protect him, he was married to Bracha. As a young man he worked as a silversmith.

In 1943 he moved to the Land of Israel. He studied at the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva and trained as a dayan at the Harry Fischel Institute.

He became a rabbinical judge in 1950 and joined the Supreme Rabbinical Court in 1970. He served on the Chief Rabbinate Council and led the Yemenite community in Jerusalem. He translated and edited many works by Maimonides and other early rabbis, including a 24 volume annotated edition of the Mishneh Torah.

He died in 2000 and was buried at Har HaMenuchot in Jerusalem. The street where he lived in Jerusalem was later named after him.