Rabbi Boaz Kali, 68, OBM

By COLlive reporter

Rabbi Boaz Kali, a Chabad Shliach who was renowned for his tireless activities to teach the Seven Laws of Noah to non-Jewish people in Israel and beyond, passed away on 22 Tammuz 5778.

He was 68 and suffered from an illness.

Born to a religious Zionist family, Rabbi Kali become close to Chabad Chassidus and has been one of the veteran Shluchim in Haifa, the large northern Israeli port city.

He served as Deputy Director of the Chabad Educational Institutions in Haifa and Kiryat Shmuel and the director of the tourist synagogue in the German Colony in Haifa.

He was most known for his activism with gentiles as the founder and chairman of “7For70 – Seven Laws for Seventy Nations,” an organization dedicated to teaching the universal laws as a morality code for the basis of civilization.

He would visit Arab villages and meet with teenagers in Arab schools in Israel’s Galilee region and at one point, even in Syria. “I teach them the concept of ‘Ve’ahavta l’reacha kamocha’ that we are responsible for each other,” he told Israeli TV.

Rabbi Kali said the message had an immediate impact as rates of youth violence in places that he visited have since been lowered. Three years ago, Rabbi Kali was a speaker at the Ahmadiyya conference, a peaceful revival movement within Islam.

The prominent Druze sheikh, Professor Fadel Mantsur was a supporter of his activities. “Instilling the values of the Seven Laws of Noah is necessary and very important to correct the human race and connect people to G-d and a better society,” he said.

It wasn’t always an easy task. Yinon Nissim Cohen, one of his acquaintances, remembered Rabbi Kali booking a hotel in East Jerusalem expecting a crowd of Arab locals to participate. Not a single person showed up.

Instead, Rabbi Kali invited an Arab employee of the hotel to the podium and led a panel discussion between the two for some 20 minutes. Rabbi Kali left leaflets in Arabic which were then used to distribute on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem.

Over the years, Rabbi Kali had the Sha’ar ha-Yichud ve’ha’Emunah (“The Gateway of Unity and Belief”) chapter of the Alter Rebbe‘s Tanya translated into Arabic and published as a standalone book which is said to be especially appropriate for gentiles.

Mayor of Haifa Yona Yahav considered Rabbi Kali “a beloved friend” and described him as “a man of action, a faithful Shliach of the Rebbe of Chabad to spread Judaism, light and love for every person.”

Yahav wrote on Facebook: “Rabbi Boaz OBM campaigned for peace among all the names and the observance of the Seven Laws of Noah… I’m sorry for you, brother, you were very kind to me and I’ll miss you very much.”

The Mayor concluded his message with the line, “Boaz, you promised us all to bring the redemption to the world… and the mission has not yet been completed!”

He is survived by his wife Chedva Kali, their children Rabbi Binyomin Meir Kali – Ramat Gan, Rabbi Avrohom Kali – Tel Aviv, Rabbi Yishai Kali – Haifa, Rabbi Shmuel Kali – Kfar Chabad, Mrs. Ruth Goldfarb – Kiryat Chaim; and grandchildren.

Baruch Dayan Haemes: Boaz ben Yaakov.