Bracha Qafih

Bracha Qafih
ברכה קאפח
Bracha Kapach
Born1922 (1922)
Yemen
DiedNovember 23, 2013(2013-11-23) (aged 90–91)
Israel
Other nameBracha Kapach
OccupationRabbanit
Known forPhilanthropy and Tzedakah
SpouseYosef Qafih
AwardsIsrael Prize (1999)

Bracha Qafih also known as Bracha Kapach (Hebrew: ברכה קאפח; 1922 – 26 November 2013) was an Israeli rabbanit, wife of Rabbi Yosef Qafih, who was awarded the Israel Prize for her charitable work.[1]

Early life

Bracha was born in Yemen, into the Saleh family. She was married to her first cousin, Yosef Qafih, at the age of eleven.[2] Seven years later, they immigrated to Palestine with their three children, one of whom died on the way. Another son, Arieh, was born in Palestine.[1]

Social work

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. The food was packaged by student volunteers and distributed from her home in Nahlaot.[1] Qafih also collected old wedding gowns to loan to brides from poor families.[3]

Awards and recognition

In 1999, Kapach was awarded the Israel Prize for her special contributions to society and the State of Israel.[4] Kapach and her husband are the only married couple to have both won the Israel Prize.[5]

In 2018, a street in her Jerusalem neighborhood of Nahlaot was renamed in her honor, alongside her husband.[6]

Her biography is included Danny Siegel's 1998 volume Munbaz II and Other Mitzvah Heroes and his 2020 anthology Radiance: Creative Mitzvah Living. It is also expounded in a 2005 Hebrew work called V'zot HaBracha (literally: "and this is the blessing") by Yael Shai.[7] There is also a Hebrew children's book about her and her husband called Ankei HaTorah Ve-haḤesed ("The Giants of Torah and Chesed") by Noam and Shira Nagrober, as part of the "Gedolei HaUmah" ("Great Ones of the People") series.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 A rising star, The Jerusalem Post Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Rebbetzin aids Jerusalem poor
  3. ↑ Teaching Jewish Life Cycle: Traditions and Activities, Barbara Binder Kadden, Bruce Kadden
  4. ↑ "Israel Prize Official Site - Recipients in 1999 (in Hebrew)".
  5. ↑ Rebbetzin aids Jerusalem poor Archived 2012-06-03 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Jerusalem: Committee Approves Naming Several Streets After Distinguished Individuals". 6 September 2018.
  7. ↑ שי, יעל (2005). "וזאת הברכה :: סיפורה של ברכה קאפח /".
  8. ↑ מאיר, יהודה. "ענקי התורה והחסד הרב והרבנית קאפח". ספרי אור החיים (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-12-24.
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