Law for the Commemoration of the Memory of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, 5785-2025

The purposes of this Law are to mark the memory of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef zt"l, the most senior Sephardi rabbi of his generation, who served as the Sephardi Chief Rabbi (Rishon LeZion), to transmit to future generations his vision, heritage and contribution to the unity of Israel, and to bring about the education of coming generations in the spirit of his work and rulings, which champion the attribute of loving-kindness.

The purposes of this Law shall be implemented by way of holding Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Day, conducting educational-values activities, awarding scholarships and providing support to public institutions that act to fulfil the purposes of this Law, all in accordance with its provisions.

The functions of the Public Council are:

Members of the Public Council who are not State employees shall, in their actions as members of the Council, be treated as State employees for the purposes of the following enactments and in respect of their actions on the Council:

Members of the Public Council shall not be entitled to remuneration for their membership of the Council, but a member of the Public Council who is not a State employee, an employee of a budgeted body or an employee of a supported body shall be entitled to payment from the Ministry for Religious Services for participation in meetings of the Council in accordance with the directives of the Accountant General of the Ministry of Finance applicable to public committees; in this Section, "State employee", "employee of a budgeted body" and "employee of a supported body" have the meanings assigned to them in section 32 of the Budget Foundations Law.

"family member" – spouse, parent, grandparent, son or daughter and their spouses, brother or sister and their children, brother-in-law or sister-in-law, uncle or aunt and their children, father-in-law or mother-in-law, grandchild, including a relative as aforesaid who is a step-relative;

"interested party" – as defined in the Securities Law, 5728-1968;

"handling" – including making a decision, raising a matter for discussion, being present at a discussion, participating in a discussion or in a vote, or dealing with a matter outside a discussion;

"conflict of interests", of a member of the Public Council – a conflict of interests between the fulfilment of the member's duties on the Council and a personal interest or another role, of the member or of the member's associate;

"associate", of a member of the Public Council – any of the following:

The existence of the Public Council, its powers and the validity of its decisions and actions shall not be affected by the termination of the office of a member of the Public Council or by reason of a defect in the appointment or the continuation of the term of office of a member of the Public Council, provided that a majority of its members are serving.

The Ministry for Religious Services may allocate scholarships for the purpose of research on topics connected to the work and vision of Maran Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, in accordance with rules to be prescribed by the Minister, provided that no duplication of support shall be granted for the same activity or the same study hours.