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Bracha Qafih

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Bracha Qafih
Bracha Kapach
Born1922
Yemen
DiedNovember 23, 2013
Israel
NationalityYemenite-Israeli
Other namesBracha Kapach
OccupationRabbanit
Known forPhilanthropy and Tzedakah

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

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Qafih was born in Yemen. She was married to her first cousin, Yosef Kapach, 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

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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

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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]

References

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  1. ^ a b c 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 /".