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]
Bracha Qafih | |
|---|---|
 Bracha Kapach | |
| Born | 1922 Yemen |
| Died | November 23, 2013 Israel |
| Nationality | Yemenite-Israeli |
| Other names | Bracha Kapach |
| Occupation | Rabbanit |
| Known for | Philanthropy and Tzedakah |
Early life
editQafih 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
editQafih’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
editIn 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
edit- ^ a b c A rising star, The Jerusalem Post Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Rebbetzin aids Jerusalem poor
- ^ Teaching Jewish Life Cycle: Traditions and Activities, Barbara Binder Kadden, Bruce Kadden
- ^ "Israel Prize Official Site - Recipients in 1999 (in Hebrew)".
- ^ Rebbetzin aids Jerusalem poor Archived 2012-06-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Jerusalem: Committee Approves Naming Several Streets After Distinguished Individuals". 6 September 2018.
- ^ שי, יעל (2005). "וזאת הברכה :: סיפורה של ברכה קאפח /".