Yitzhak Israeli


Yitzhak Israeli is a Sephardi rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and Orthodox halakhist. He is the Av Beit Din of Torah U'Mishpat in Brooklyn, New York.

Early life

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

Community work

Soon after he received his semikha, Israeli began to serve as a dayan in the beth din headed by Ben Haim in Queens. In 2000 he was appointed rabbi of Congregation Sha'are Emunah in Cedarhurst, where he served until 2009. From 2008-2010, Israeli served as a rosh yeshiva in Yeshivah Beer Yitzhak in Beitar Illit, West Bank.
In 2001, Israeli 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 the Sephardic Center of Mill Basin. Israeli taught halakha and dayanut in several kollelim in Brooklyn and Queens. Currently, he serves as Rosh Kollel in Congregation Beth Gavriel in Queens.
In 2016, Israeli was appointed Chief Rabbi of Rabbinical Bukharian Association United States and Canada.
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 theory of halakha is based upon the methods of Ovadia Yosef. 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.
Israeli's first book, published in 2014 and titled MeAvnei HaMakom, deals with several halakhic issues including contemporary Shabbat issues, marriage, gittin and agunot. The book received accolades from Ben Haim and Zalman Nechemia Goldberg.
His second book, Yode'ei Binah, was published in 2016, and deals with the determination of zmanim, and rulings that stem from those determinations.