Bamba at Heart of Rabbinic Dispute
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
An absurd argument over blessing snack food may help decide the future leader of Jerusalem’s Sephardi movement.
Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and Rabbi David Yosef, the two sons of Chief Sephardi Rabbi of Jerusalem Ovadia Yosef, leading Sephardi authority and spiritual leader of the political group Shas, have long fought over inheriting their elderly father’s kingdom. However, the feud has recently taken a turn for the ridiculous. The siblings are currently engaged in a public fight over which blessing to recite over Bamba, the peanut-buttery corn puff snack which is one of Israel’s most popular junk foods.
Both sons believe whoever wins the argument will be one step closer to their father’s blessing and kingdom.
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