Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah

ultra-Orthodox Sephardic and Mizrahi Shas

Chief Rabbi of Israel Ovadia Yosef, Rabbi Shimon Baadani, Rabbi Shalom Cohen, and Rabbi Shabtai Aton (whom, following the cessation of support of the Ashkenazi Torah sages, retired in 1990). The first secretary of the council was Rabbi Yechezkel Aschayek, a confidant of Rabbi Shach. Initially, the council was founded in order to ensure the remote control of Rabbi Shach over the Shas movement, and to ensure his position as the ultimate arbiter over fateful questions facing the Shas movement. Because of this, the rabbis Baadani, Toledano, and Aton were appointed to the council, whom all studied under Rabbi Shach over the years. Rabbi Shalom Cohen is also considered a loyalist of Rabbi Shach.^[1] After Yechezkel Aschayek retired from Shas, he was replaced by Rabbi Moshe Maya (who later became a Knesset member, and eventually became himself a member of the Council). Rabbi Ovadia Yosef served as president of the council, for 30 years.^{[citation needed]} After Moshe Maya, Rafael Pinhasi served as council secretary for 14 years, and had retired after the death of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Upon the death of his father, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, David Yosef