Elazar Abuhatzeira

Elazar Abuhatzeira ( called Baba Elazar by his followers ; born 1948 in Rissani , Morocco ; died July 29, 2011 in Be'er Sheva , Israel ) was an Orthodox Sephardic rabbi , Kabbalist and spiritual leader.

The 70-year-old received up to 500 people a day. He is said to have given help in matters of daily life, marriage and business matters and answers to questions about Halacha .

Life

He was born in Morocco to Meir and Simcha Abuhatzeira and was the grandson of Baba Sali (Yisrael Abuhatzeira) and brother of David Chai Abuhatzeira (Rabbi in Nahariya ). Other brothers are Rabbi Jekutiel, Rabbi Refael von Ashdod and Rabbi Jeschua Werachamim.

In 1966 Elazar Abuhatzeira immigrated to Israel, where he studied at the Porat Yosef Yeshiva and later led his own yeshiva . He was known for his good and influential relationships in the business world and politics, was one of the leading Kabbalists in Israel and was featured on various lists of the richest people in the country with an estimated (2011) fortune of 80 million US dollars.

Fraud allegations

Since 1997 there have been various allegations of fraud and tax evasion, which have also been covered in the press; He is said to have manipulated various people excessively, threatened with money for blessings and curses in case of non-payment. In addition, there were allegations of improper sales of land and the resulting evasion of property and property taxes.

His accounts allegedly held at least 250 million shekels (NIS) of gifts, donations and "contributions" in 2003, leaving the State of Israel with an income tax liability of NIS 100 million on monies it received from "Followers", but later a real agreement was reached to pay NIS 20 million to social organizations.

In 2004, Elazar Abuhatzeira allegedly had an income of NIS 500 million (equivalent to US $ 141 million) and was due for a new tax assessment, but a corresponding case before the Supreme Court in Israel was unsuccessful.

In 2009, a man was charged with threatening Abuhatzeira with death after promising him a cure from an illness that did not materialize.

In 2010, Abuhatzeira was sued by New York Jews for allegedly collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars for promised “miracles that never happened”.

Yossi Bar Moha, the journalist who started the investigation into Abuhatzeira in 1997, described Abuhatzeira as a "charlatan, fraudster and impostor who shamelessly exploited people's ignorance and brought them to the brink of ruin".

His supporters, on the other hand, defended him as a modest, undemanding, decent and socially minded person who stood up for the poor, and pointed to his soup kitchens, where countless people were fed free of charge every day.

assassination

On July 28, 2011, Elazar Abuhatzeira was stabbed to death in his yeshiva in Be'er Sheva while offering help to a person who was in fact his killer. The 42-year-old assailant (Asher Dahan from the ultra-Orthodox city of Elad ), who was overwhelmed by Abuhatzeira's students and handed over to the police after the act, was allegedly dissatisfied with advice on marriage that Abuhatzeira allegedly gave him earlier. Resuscitation attempts by staff from Magen David Adom were unsuccessful. Abuhatzeira was taken to the outpatient department of Soroka Medical Center, where only his death could be determined.

After his death, hundreds of supporters gathered in front of his house and complained about the great loss. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , shocked by the news of death, said: “The Raw has been a spiritual leader for many Israelis. He helped them with advice and charity, and often did so in secret. "

The funeral took place in Jerusalem on July 29, 2011, where Abuhatzeira was buried on the Mount of Olives in the presence of tens of thousands, including Israel's chief rabbis, Charedi ministers and various Knesset members.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Abuhatzeira, Elazar
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Elazar, Baba
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Israeli rabbi
DATE OF BIRTH	1948
PLACE OF BIRTH	Rissani , Morocco
DATE OF DEATH	July 29, 2011
Place of death	Be'er Sheva , Israel