Leading Kabbalist Rabbi Kaduri dies

Leading Kabbalist rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri died from pneumonia aged more than 104 years old, a Jerusalem hospital where the ill rabbi had been hospitalized said Saturday.

Kaduri's personal physical said the rabbi's family members were at his bedside when he died. Chief Sephardic Rabbi Shlomo Amar, former Shas leader Arieh Deri, and current Shas leader Eli Yishai also arrived at the hospital and prayed by Kaduri's bed along with other rabbis and Kabbalists.

"All Israelis are one family today, mourning the man who throughout his life prayed for the people of Israel," Yishai said.

President Moshe Katsav praised the rabbi for his love of Israel, and his efforts to unite secular and religious Jews.

"The president is pained by the death of the important rabbi, whose name was known in Israel and abroad," the President's Office said in a statement. "Rabbi Kaduri, among the greatest rabbis of Israel and the Jewish people, was characterized by his love for Israel, and an unmatched familiarity with the Kabbala. Rabbi Kaduri was known for his great modesty and lifestyle, and dedicated himself to the needs of the people of Israel."

Rabbi Kaduri was hospitalized about two weeks ago in serious condition due to complications stemming from pneumonia. Several hours after he was hospitalized, his condition deteriorated further.

Saturday night, the hospital announced Kaduri's condition again deteriorated and was characterized as "grave." During the past week, the rabbi suffered from a blood infection and received intensive medicinal treatment, to no avail.

Popular spiritual leader

Kaduri started out as a modest bookbinder, and has become one of the best known Kabbalists in the country.

He was born in Iraq, and immigrated to Israel at the age of 17. He studied in a Jerusalem Yeshiva, and was a student of Jerusalem Kabbalists who worked in the capital at the start of the previous century, including Rabbi Salman Eliyahu, father of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu.

Many members of the public possess a gold or silver amulets made for them by Kaduri, who is considered an expert on making amulets.

In recent months, Kaduri's name was tied to a blessing to opponents of the disengagement from Gaza, but his son later said his father believes "Gaza belongs to Palestinian." Kaduri himself surprised many followers when he offered his support for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza pullout in April.

"If we give them a small thing and there will peace with them, we can leave Gush Katif. We can trust Sharon, he is okay. It can cede territories in Gaza," the Rabbi told an ultra-Orthodox newspaper.

He added: "I have no faith in the Arabs but we must have a little quiet. Sharon's government isn't so bad."

Recently, rumors have circulated in the ultra-Orthodox world that that the messiah has revealed himself to Rabbi Kaduri in dreams.