Bracha Qafih ( he, ברכה קאפח; 1922 – 26 November 2013) was an Israeli rabbanit, wife of

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

Yosef Qafih Yosef Qafiḥ ( he, יוסף קאפח , ), widely known as Rabbi Yosef Kapach (27 November 1917 – 21 July 2000), was a Yemenite-Israeli authority on Jewish religious law (''halakha''), a dayan of the Supreme Rabbinical Court in Israel, and o ...

, who was awarded the Israel Prize for her charitable work.A rising star
''

The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper ...

'' Bracha Qafih was born in Yemen. She was married to her first cousin, Yosef Kapach, at the age of eleven. Seven years later, they

immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

to Israel with their three children, one of whom died on the way. Another son, Arieh, was born in Palestine. Rabbanit Qafih’s first enterprise in the country was running an embroidery workshop employing 50 Yemenite women. For over half a century, she organized holiday food packages for the needy of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. The food was packaged by student volunteers and distributed from her home in

Nahlaot Nachlaot ( he, נחלאות, also ''Naḥlaʾoth'') is a cluster of 23 courtyard neighborhoods in central Jerusalem surrounding the Mahane Yehuda Market. It is known for its narrow, winding lanes, old-style housing, hidden courtyards and many sm ...

. Qafih also collected old wedding gowns to loan to brides from poor families.

Awards and recognition

In 1999, Kapach was awarded the Israel Prize for her special contributions to society and the State of Israel. Kapach and her husband are the only married couple to have both won the Israel Prize.Rebbetzin aids Jerusalem poor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Qafih, Bracha 1922 births 2013 deaths Israeli Jews Israel Prize for special contribution to society and the State recipients Israel Prize women recipients Yemenite Jews Yemeni emigrants to Mandatory Palestine