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In the latest allegations of election impropriety leveled against the haredi Shas party, spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has been accused of illegally cursing those who do not support the party. Missives written in Yosef's hand were distributed to Shas voters, proclaiming "Cursed be those for they did not come to the aid of God; Cursed be he who does not fulfill the word of this Torah to do them. I make a halaha [Jewish law] that one must vote and influence Shas." Shortly after details of the missive were revealed, Shas Chairman Eli Yishai was quick to deny that...

Three Israeli Arabs from north Jerusalem, members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), have been arrested for plotting to murder Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual mentor of the Shas Party and one of the great Torah scholars of this generation. One of the conspirators, Mussa Darwish, 22, a resident of Issawiya, a north Jerusalem neighborhood, became familiar with the location of the rabbi’s home, while working as a delivery boy for a grocery store in the Jewish neighborhood of Givat Shaul. Darwish, who according to security sources, came up with the idea to kill the elderly rabbi,...

Rabbi Yosef Explains His Opposition to a Referendum 06:35 Feb 10, '05 / 1 Adar 5765 (IsraelNN.com) Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef remains opposed to a national referendum on the Gaza Disengagement Plan issue, explaining the people do not have the tools to make such a decision. Rabbi Yosef explains that the decision must be based on security considerations – weighing if the implementation of the plan will save Jewish lives or contribute to increased warfare. Rabbi Yosef explains that nothing else comes into play regarding his decision-making process. “What do the people understand about security?” he questions, adding...

Feb. 9, 2005 4:33 | Updated Feb. 9, 2005 6:36 Yosef opposes referendum on pullout By GIL HOFFMAN Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz shows Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef the map of the disengagement plan to try and convince him to support the plan Photo: Ariel Jerozolimski Shas mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef decided on Tuesday to oppose a national referendum on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, declining to follow the lead of Degel Hatorah mentor Rabbi Shalom Yosef Elyashiv. Elyashiv stunned his rabbinical cohorts on Monday when he endorsed Knesset Law Committee chairman Michael Eitan's referendum bill. Degel...