Vaad Harabanim 
Vaad HarabanimRabbi Elcharar’s

No passing of a loved one comes without overwhelming grief. That pain is intensified however, when it comes as a complete shock. Such was the case with the passing of Kollel head, Torah scholar and beloved father Rabbi Yaakov Elcharar.

Rabbi Elcharar was last seen healthy on Simchat Torah, happily clapping and singing as part of the limited festivities. Shortly after dismantling his family sukkah, the Rabbi collapsed and suddenly died of cardiac arrest. It came as a total shock to his wife and two daughters, as well as his many students.

Rabbi Elcharar was born in Morocco, and in his youth left for Israell in search of a deeper level of Torah learning and mitzvah observance. The Rabbi was the great-grandson of Rabbi Makhlouf Elcharar, one of the most famous Moroccan Torah sages. Rabbi Yaakov learned in the Ohr Baruch Yeshiva of Bayit V’Gan and was one of the most beloved students of his teacher Rabbi Gavriel Toledano. He then went to marry his wife, Mrs. Esther Elcharar.

For several years the couple were not blessed with children. After 12 years of waiting, they had a daughter. Another 9 years of waiting later, they had a second daughter. Rabbi Elcharar’s long-awaited daughters were his absolute pride and joy. The teenaged girls wept freely over their father’s body at his funeral this Sunday.

Rabbi Elcharar was the head of the Maalot Dovid Yeshiva in Ramot Gimmel for many years and was known to greet his students warmly, even when he was immersed deeply in his learning. His students and community are deeply shocked by his passing.


Mrs. Elcharar worked in a store but is now unemployed due to Israel’s coronavirus lockdown. Concerns have been raised as to her ability to raise and marry off her children in the absence of the Rabbi. An emergency fund has been opened to help the family survive after this unimaginable tragedy.
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