Top Rabbi Slams State Attorney General Over Election-Related Event Ban

Sephardic Chief Rabbi and former Rishon LeZion, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, launched a fierce verbal attack on the Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, on Saturday evening. The criticism stems from an opinion issued by Baharav-Miara regarding the permissibility of holding a memorial event for Rabbi Yosef's father, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, during an election period.

During his weekly Torah lesson, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef urged the public to disregard the Attorney General's stance and spoke harshly against her. "Don't listen to her! Who is she? Let her receive her punishment. She is meddling with a great leader of generations? This will not pass in silence. May God help her receive her punishment," he stated.

Rabbi Yosef recalled the massive funeral of his father, which drew hundreds of thousands from across Israel, noting the diverse attendance. "Nearly a million people participated in the funeral of Maran [my] father. All of Israel. There were secular and religious, knitted kippahs, white kippahs, Hasidim, Lithuanians," he said.

He further attacked the legal opinion, stating, "The anniversary of the Rabbi's passing arrives, to hold a memorial as is proper, as befits his honor, as the entire public recognized his greatness, and suddenly a legal opinion is issued. This wicked one, this crazy Attorney General. Issues an opinion that it is forbidden to hold a rally in honor of Maran."

Rabbi Yosef accused the decision of discriminating between events associated with different political camps. "Rabin was murdered close to elections, and they don't forbid that, because it belongs to the left. But Maran, a great leader of generations, she issues an opinion this week that it is forbidden to hold rallies before elections," he claimed.