Rabbi Mazuz Fiercely Criticizes Attorney General for Banning Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Memorial

Rabbi Tzemach Mazuz, head of the "Kiseh Rachamim" yeshiva, has launched a sharp attack against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, condemning her decision to prohibit a memorial ceremony for the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. The decision, which Rabbi Mazuz argues violates the commemoration law, has sparked significant backlash within the Sephardic rabbinical community.

During his weekly address to students, Rabbi Mazuz accused the Attorney General of consistently seeking to harm Torah scholars and "Torah students." He specifically criticized her reasoning for banning the event, which cited concerns that it could influence public opinion and the integrity of elections due to Rabbi Yosef's association with the Shas party. "We want pure elections. Let every person vote according to their conscience," Rabbi Mazuz quoted the Attorney General, sarcastically questioning the "purity" of such a stance.

Rabbi Mazuz further derided the Attorney General, referring to her as "the wicked Isabel" and suggesting she spends every day devising new decrees against religious students. He highlighted what he perceived as a double standard, noting that other state ceremonies, such as the annual memorial for the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, continue to take place even close to election periods. Critics of the Attorney General's decision echo this sentiment, alleging selective enforcement and deepening a sense of discrimination among Rabbi Yosef's supporters.