Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel

Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel (; 23 May 1880 – 4 September 1953), sometimes rendered as Ouziel, was the Sephardi chief rabbi of Mandatory Palestine from 1939 to 1948, and of Israel from 1948 until his death in 1953.

Biography Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel was born in Jerusalem, where his father, Joseph Raphael, was the chief justice of the Sephardi community of Jerusalem, as well as president of the community council. At the age of twenty he became a yeshivah teacher and also founded a yeshivah called Mahazikei Torah for Sephardi young men.

Rabbinic career In 1911, Uziel was appointed Hakham Bashi of Jaffa and the district. There he worked closely with Abraham Isaac Kook, who was the spiritual leader of the Ashkenazi community. In 1939, he was appointed Chief Sephardi Rabbi in the Land of Israel. He spoke fluent Arabic, and believed in peace and harmony between the two parties. He made "Love truth, and peace" the motto of his life. This verse (Zechariah 8:19) hung framed above his desk and was inscribed on his note paper.

Halakhic rulings Uziel issued many rulings in throughout his career. Some of these rulings include:

Converts should be accepted even if we know for certain that they will not fulfill the commandments. Autopsies can be performed, and even as a study tool for trainee doctors. Uziel does not make a distinction between Jews and non-Jews with regards to autopsies. Women can vote and can be elected to public office. There is no halachic grounds for preventing a woman from serving on a Beth din, but that societal norms preclude this from happening. Permitted birth control and abortions in cases where it may harm the mother, or in the case of mamzerut.

Published works Mishpetei Ouziel, responsa (1st ed., 3 vols., 1935–60; 2nd ed., 4 vols., 1947–64); Sha'arei Ouziel (1944–46), consisting of halakhah, general topics, and a selection of his addresses, letters, and other writings; Mikhmannei Ouziel (1939); Hegyonei Ouziel (1953–54), and still other works in manuscript.