eBay Sellers Rush to Cash in on Ovadia Yosef Merchandise
by Joshua Levitt
Within hours of the legendary Sephardic rabbi’s passing, online marketplace eBay was abuzz with signed paraphernalia, posters, and even a T-shirt bearing the unique likeness of the late Ovadia Yosef.
At 16 views in the past hour, the T-shirt — opening bid at $15, buy it now price of $21.99, plus $5 shipping from Ramat Gan, Israel — might become a big hit.
Unlike many Ashkenazi rabbis of the Lubavitch tradition, with their Borsalino fedoras, or of the Satmars, with their furry, round streimels, Rabbi Yosef was often photographed with his Iraqi-inspired turban, white beard and roguish sunglasses completing his iconic look.
Also exploiting the rabbi’s style, at the more pricey $159, a sterling silver Hamsa with the Rabbi’s likeness on one side, sold from Givat Shmuel, Israel.
The most expensive Rabbi Yosef item is a letter going for $1,149 (plus shipping and handling), from a collector in New York. For $399, you can buy a signed and dedicated copy of his famous responsa.
Morning newspapers covering his passing and copies from today, covering the 850,000 mourners at his funeral, were also already being sold online.