Sephardic Chief Rabbi Attacks Attorney General Over Banned Memorial Event

The spiritual leader of the Shas party and head of the Council of Torah Sages, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, launched a scathing verbal attack on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara during his weekly sermon on Saturday night. The attack followed Baharav-Miara's directive to cancel this year's "Marana Day," a state-recognized memorial day for Rabbi Yosef's father, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

Yosef accused Baharav-Miara of being "wicked" and "insane" for issuing a legal opinion prohibiting the memorial gathering. He contrasted the situation with the memorial for assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, arguing that Rabin, a political figure, was permitted a memorial, while his father, a preeminent Torah scholar, was not.

"She is dealing with Maran? May God destroy her, may He give her her punishment. This will not pass in silence," Yosef declared, invoking divine retribution against the Attorney General. He urged the public to disregard her directive, questioning her authority and stating, "Who is she anyway?"

Yosef further claimed that Baharav-Miara's ruling was politically motivated, suggesting she was prohibiting gatherings before elections, a rule he implied was not applied to Rabin's memorial. He concluded by praying for divine intervention to punish her, stating, "God help her receive her punishment."