the Rebbe • Rabbi Amos Guetta
Rabbi Amos Kamos Guetta
Recent GenerationsRabbi Amos Kamos Chaim Guetta was an Israeli rabbi, kabbalist, rosh yeshiva, head of a kollel for married scholars, and outreach figure who was active primarily in the city of Netanya. He headed the Rabbi Yitzhak Hai Taieb Yeshiva in the city and was known among his students and …
Biography
Rabbi Amos Kamos Chaim Guetta was an Israeli rabbi, kabbalist, rosh yeshiva, head of a kollel for married scholars, and outreach figure who was active primarily in the city of Netanya. He headed the Rabbi Yitzhak Hai Taieb Yeshiva in the city and was known among his students and close followers as a central spiritual presence for members of the Libyan Jewish community and for a broader public as well. Over the course of decades, he delivered Torah lectures, received visitors seeking blessing and counsel, and gathered around himself a wide circle of students and devoted followers. Among his adherents, stories of extraordinary insight and wonder were attributed to him. He was murdered in his study hall in Netanya on the 16th of Tammuz, 5786, during the Shacharit prayer.
Life Story
Childhood
He was born in Libya on the 19th of Adar II, 5711, to Abraham and Fortuna. After immigrating to Israel, he lived in Netanya: first in Shikun Sela (today Neot Herzl), later in Shikun Vatikim (today Neot Ganim), and finally in the area of Einstein Street, near his study hall. In his youth he worked as a postman and studied medicine for approximately four years, but after drawing closer to Judaism, he left his academic studies and turned to Torah study.
Teachers
He studied at the Or HaTorah Kollel in Netanya, where the teachers included Rabbi Shimon Gabbai. For several years he traveled each day to Moshav Porat in order to study in chavruta with the kabbalist Rabbi Abraham Mordechai Yitzhaki, known as "the Rabbi of Porat." He also maintained a close relationship with Rabbi Zion Boaron.
Students
He gathered around himself a broad circle of students and close followers. His study hall was open twenty-four hours a day, and anyone who had been thrown out of the house or had nowhere to sleep could find refuge there. His students relate that he cared for them truly as a father cares for his children.
Family
He was born to Abraham and Fortuna. He married Haviva, and the couple had four children: Oshra, Moshe, Abraham, and Ruchama. His eldest son, Moshe, served as his assistant. His youngest son was killed in a road accident shortly after celebrating his bar mitzvah.
Key Events
He founded the Rabbi Yitzhak Hai Taieb Yeshiva in Netanya, named for the kabbalist Rabbi Yitzhak Hai Taieb. Young men and married scholars studied there in various groups—some focused on halakhah, while others followed the study order established by the rabbi, including subjects connected to the weekly Torah portion. Within the framework of the yeshiva, he devoted much effort to bringing Jews closer to Torah and to preserving the customs of Libyan Jewry. During the COVID period, after repeated pleas from his wife and son, he moved to Tiberias with about ten of his students and stayed at Iris Beach, where they studied and prayed. In the month of Tishrei, 5784, he became gravely ill and was hospitalized while sedated and on a ventilator, and the name Chaim was added to his own. After a period of treatment and rehabilitation, he returned to public activity.
Miracles
Among his followers and close associates, extraordinary knowledge and stories of wonder were attributed to him, and he was regarded as a kabbalist endowed with distinctive spiritual leadership.
Influence
He belonged to the Sephardi-Haredi Torah world, yet his activity was not limited to a narrow communal or sectoral audience. Those who came to him included newly observant Jews, members of the Libyan Jewish community, and residents of Netanya and the surrounding area. He emphasized Torah study, prayer, mitzvah observance, refinement of character, and the strengthening of faith.
Death
On the 16th of Tammuz, 5786 (July 1, 2026), at 5:45 in the morning, he was stabbed in his study hall on Shimon Bar Yochai Street in Netanya during the Shacharit prayer, and he died of his wounds at Laniado Hospital. The suspect was arrested after a police manhunt. Thousands attended his funeral. He was buried in Shikun Vatikim Cemetery in Netanya.
Writings
Torah Lessons and Conduct
Torah and Jewish Thought
Teachings and guidance that he delivered over the course of decades in his study hall.
His Way and Views
Torah Study
He emphasized Torah study as the foundation of Jewish life and delivered numerous lectures over the course of decades.
Halacha
He preserved and transmitted the customs of Libyan Jewry and the Sephardi tradition.
Faith
He emphasized the strengthening of faith and trust in God, and in the eyes of his students he was regarded as a kabbalist.
Ethics
He was exacting in the refinement of character, love of fellow Jews, and receiving every person with a pleasant countenance.
Customs
He preserved the customs of Libyan Jewry and spread them among his students and close followers.
Character
He was known for his warm and personal manner toward everyone who approached him, and for his devotion to the public.
Public Role
He worked to bring Jews back to Torah observance and to foster closeness among people, and his study hall was open to all.
Famous Stories
In his youth he worked as a postman and studied medicine for about four years, but after drawing closer to Judaism he left everything behind and devoted himself wholly to Torah study.
For several years he traveled daily to Moshav Porat in order to study in chavruta with the kabbalist Rabbi Abraham Mordechai Yitzhaki, known as "the Rabbi of Porat."
His study hall was open twenty-four hours a day. Anyone who had been thrown out of the house or had nowhere to sleep could find refuge there. His students recount that he cared for them truly as a father cares for his children.
In the month of Tishrei, 5784, he became gravely ill and was hospitalized while sedated and on a ventilator. The name Chaim was added to his own (and his name for prayer was publicized as "Amos Kamos Chaim ben Fortuna"), and after a period of treatment and rehabilitation he returned to public activity.
During the COVID period, after repeated pleas from his wife and son, he moved to Tiberias with about ten of his students and stayed at Iris Beach, where they continued to study and pray.
He would travel to Meron for Rosh Hashanah and to Hebron for Yom Kippur.
His study hall on Shimon Bar Yochai Street in Netanya became a focal point for the many who sought his blessing, counsel, or guidance regarding family matters, livelihood, health, education, and matchmaking.
Students
Teachers
Grave Site
Grave Details
- Grave Name
- Shikun Vatikim Cemetery
- City
- Netanya
- Country
- Israel
Timeline
Birth in Tripoli, Libya
Immigration to Israel and settlement in Netanya
Work as a postman and medical studies
Turning to Torah study at Or HaTorah Kollel
Founding of the Rabbi Yitzhak Hai Taieb Yeshiva in Netanya
Severe illness, addition of the name Chaim, and rehabilitation
Murder in his study hall in Netanya and passing
Legacy
He will be remembered favorably as a rabbi, kabbalist, and outreach figure who influenced thousands. He established a major Torah center in Netanya that was open to every person at any hour. He preserved and transmitted the customs of Libyan Jewry. He was murdered during the Shacharit prayer in his study hall, and thousands attended his funeral.