Har Nof to Be Renamed ‘Neot Yosef’ in Honor of Gedolei Hador

Thousands of people visited the kever of Hagaon Harav Ovadia Yosef, zt”l, Thursday night, and many more are expected throughout the day Friday, in commemoration of the sixth anniversary of his petirah. Roads in the area of the kever in the Sanhedria neighborhood were closed, and visitors were instructed to use public transportation or park at outlying parking lots.

To mark the occasion, on Thursday Yerushalayim Mayor Moshe Leon declared that the name of the Har Nof neighborhood in the city will be changed to “Neot Yosef,” in honor of both Harav Ovadia Yosef and Hagaon Harav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l, who was niftar seven years ago. Leon said he would present the name change to the city council in the coming days, and did not anticipate any objections to the mark of honor for the two Gedolei Hador.

Har Nof is a religious neighborhood on the western edge of Yerushalayim with a large chareidi presence. Harav Yosef lived in an apartment on Rechov Hakablan in the neighborhood for many years.