Israel’s chief rabbis urge police restraint amid political unrest

A day after ultra-Orthodox protesters blocking Route 4 near Bnei Brak were filmed being dragged by police without pants, Israel’s chief rabbis met on Thursday with police rabbis from the Israel Police and Border Police. The meeting marked the release of the second volume of "I Appointed Watchmen," a book on halachic issues in police work, much of it drawn from experience since Hamas’s October 7 terror attack. Some chapters address identifying the dead and emergency operations.

Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef said Israel is in a “very serious internal dispute” and that police are often pulled between opposing sides. He told the police rabbis to make clear that “the police belong to everyone, to all the people of Israel.” He also urged officers not to use force against demonstrators, saying violence and raised hands “must be outside our camp, unless we reach a point where it is impossible,” and adding that police should try to act with patience and friendliness toward right-wing, left-wing, secular, and ultra-Orthodox protesters alike.

Yosef also said he regretted police being dragged into political disputes. “The police should not be involved in arrests and political conflict, so that we continue to be here as one people,” he said. Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber also addressed the violence seen in Tuesday’s demonstration, saying the incidents are being handled by the police commissioner and that their role is to convey Jewish values to officers in the field while balancing law enforcement with the values of the people of Israel.

Police Rabbi Chief Superintendent Rami Brachaio thanked the rabbis and said the force would “find a way to connect the values of the world of Torah with the police.” He said police do “holy work” that is not always recognized, and that the connection to Torah should accompany them even in difficult periods. Separately, Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court extended by one day the detention of a protester arrested on Wednesday for blocking Route 4 after being filmed attacking a female detective.