Rights org. files complaint after Sephardic head rabbi shames women for private mikveh use

The religious-services rights organization ITIM has filed a complaint against Sephardic Chief Rabbi David Yosef, accusing him of misusing his public position to shame women seeking to use mikvahs (ritual baths) without an attendant present. The complaint was lodged with the Judicial Complaints Commissioner, targeting Yosef in his capacity as president of the Great Rabbinical Court.

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Raise your voice and shout. That way, you have not broken the law, but you have shamed them.

According to the complaint and news reports, Yosef allegedly told mikveh attendants at a conference that while they might face legal consequences for preventing women from immersing alone, they could verbally rebuke such women. He reportedly suggested attendants tell women that the chief rabbi considered their actions "defying the Torah" and to "raise your voice and shout" to shame them into using an attendant.

Yosef's office has denied these allegations, asserting that his remarks were partially quoted and did not reflect his full intent. A statement from his office claimed there was "never any intention to harm" women and that his comments were about welcoming them warmly. However, the office acknowledged that Yosef had warned against a minority of women seeking to immerse without an attendant, which he viewed as a violation of halacha (Jewish law), though he advised explaining this "pleasantly."

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There was never any intention to harm” women, the statement said, adding that “on the contrary, everything he said at the conference was about welcoming women warmly, with kindness.

ITIM argues that the clarification does not retract the core message that women seeking to immerse alone are acting against Torah law. The dispute centers on a 2016 High Court ruling that affirmed a woman's right to immerse without an attendant if she requests it. A subsequent directive from the Religious Services Ministry also stated that attendants should not press women beyond explaining the halachic validity rests with the woman herself. ITIM contends Yosef's comments are "halachically harmful" and violate ethical rules.

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Certainly, every person must be treated with honor and dignity, all the more so women who come to fulfill a mitzvah.