Yitzhak Israeli

Yitzhak Israeli (Hebrew: יצחק ישראלי‎‎; Yitzchak Yisraeli) is a Sephardi rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Orthodox halachist. He is the Av Beit Din (head of the rabbinical court) of Torah U'Mishpat in Brooklyn, New York, and the Chief Rabbi of the Rabbinical Bukharian Association United States and Canda.

Early life

Born in Jerusalem, Israel, Israeli studied at Yeshivat Tifrach. He was a prominent student of Rabbi Ben Zion Abba Shaul and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. In 1998 he moved to New York, where he received his semicha (rabbinic ordination) from Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Haim.

Community work

Soon after he received his Semikha, he began to serve as a Dayan in the Beth Din headed by Rabbi Ben Haim in Queens. In 2000 he was appointed Rabbi of Congregation Sha'are Emunah in Cedarhurst, where he served until 2009. During the years 2008-2010 he was serveved as a Rosh yeshiva in Yeshivah Beer Yitzhak in Beitar Illit, Israel.

In 2001 he established the Sephardic Beth Medrash and Congregation of Rockland County in Wesley Hills, New York, which he led until 2012. In 2012 he was appointed rabbi of Sha'arei Yeshuah MiTzion, also known as Sephardic Center of Mill Basin. During the years, Rav Israeli taught Halakha and Dayanut (Jewish law) in several kollelim in Brooklyn and Queens. Currently, he serves as Rosh Kollel (head of the Kollel) in Congregation Beth Gavriel in Queens.

In 2016, he was appointed Chief Rabbi of Rabbinical Bukharian Association United States and Canda.

Israeli is leading several charities and mutual help organizations. He established Be'er Yitzhak Foundation, an organization that helps the needy in Israel, as well as Jewish education organizations in Israel. He is among the rabbis leading the Bikur Cholim Website Of Mill Basin organization.

Israeli's way of Halakha is based on the way of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Based on this Halakhic method, he was involved in several cases referred to him by ORA, resulting in a hetter (halachic permit) to help agunahs, women whose husbands refuse to provide a get (Jewish bill of divorce) and release them from their marriage. His Halakhic work deals with the most complicated issues in Even Ha'ezer, as well as other parts of the Shulchan Aruch.

Works

Since the beginning of his career, Israeli focused on the issuing Halakha rulings. Some of his early works were published in several issues of the Halakhic journal Kol Me'heikhal. His rulings deal with all the four parts of Shulchan Aruch.

His first book, MeAvnei HaMakom (Part 1), deals with several halakhic issues including contemporary Shabbat issues, marriage, gitin and Agunot. The book was published in 2014, and received a warm welcome from Rabbi Ben Haim, and from the prominent Israeli Chief Justice of the Rabbinical High Court in Jerusalem Rabbi Zalman Nechemia Goldberg. A second part of the book is currently in work.

His second book, Yode'ei Binah was published in 2016, and deals with the determination of Zmanim - Halakhic times of the day, and rulings that stem from those detrminations.