Leading Israeli Kabbalist dies, was older than 104
By Guy FaulconbridgeJERUSALEM (Reuters) - One of the most revered Jewish holy men in Israel died on Saturday aged more than 104-years-old.
Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri taught Kabbalah, a mystical form of Judaism. Followers flocked to his Jerusalem home to receive blessings and politicians visited to try and boost their popularity among devout Jews who saw him as a sage.
"This is a huge loss for all of Israel," the leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, Eli Yishai, told Israel Radio. "He saved many with his prayers."
The Sephardic rabbi was admitted to a Jerusalem hospital earlier this month after contracting pneumonia.
He is believed to have been born before 1900 in what is now Iraq. His personal physician had estimated his age as between 104 and 108.
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
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