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Rabbi curses Zamir at Bnei Brak anti-draft protest: ‘may his name and memory be erased’

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • An ultra-Orthodox rabbi cursed IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir during an anti-draft protest in Bnei Brak.
  • The rabbi claimed the army "educates for the most severe offenses in the Torah" and called Israel an "impure country."
  • Hundreds of haredi men protested the drafting of yeshiva students, with politicians from the Shas party in attendance.

An ultra-Orthodox rabbi invoked a curse against IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir during an anti-military draft protest in Bnei Brak, central Israel. Rabbi Aryeh Yazdi declared that Zamir's "name and memory be erased," accusing the army of educating soldiers in "the most severe offenses in the Torah" and labeling Israel an "impure country."

The cursed chief of staff, may his name and memory be erased, sent a soldier to prison because he put a Messiah note.

— Rabbi Aryeh YazdiCursing the IDF Chief of Staff during the protest.

The protest, attended by hundreds of haredi men and led by former Sephardi chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, specifically targeted the drafting of yeshiva students. This follows years of exemptions for full-time Torah students and recent arrests of some students who had not reported for service.

The cursed chief of staff, may his name and memory be erased, sent a soldier to prison because he put a Messiah note. He also claimed that Israel was an “impure country” for having an army that “educates for the most severe offenses in the Torah.”

— Rabbi Aryeh YazdiAccusations against the IDF and Israel.

Yosef, a member of the Council of Torah Sages for the Shas party, asserted that Israel wins wars not due to military might but because of Torah scholars. He criticized the jailing of yeshiva students as a disgrace to Torah and suggested that soldiers' deaths are a consequence of decrees against those who study Torah. Members of the Shas party, including several MKs, were present at the rally.

Red lines must not be crossed.

— Israel KatzDefense Minister condemning the incitement.

Defense Minister Israel Katz condemned the incitement against Zamir, warning that "Red lines must not be crossed." Meanwhile, Shas and the United Torah Judaism party have been attempting to advance legislation that critics argue would support draft evaders. Members of these parties had visited arrested evaders in military prison, calling for their release.

Israel “wins wars not because of the Iron Dome, but because of the Torah, because of the young men and the scholars.

— Yitzhak YosefFormer Sephardi chief rabbi speaking at the protest.
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Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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