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.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
