Shas Chairman Deri Vows Judicial Overhaul After High Court Blocks Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Memorial Event

Shas party chairman Aryeh Deri sharply criticized the Supreme Court's decision on Wednesday to uphold the cancellation of a state memorial event for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the late spiritual leader of the Sephardi Haredi community. Deri called the court's ruling "callousness and detachment from the feelings of millions of Jews," stating that it prevents the commemoration of Rabbi Yosef's legacy.

Deri asserted that the decision was not just an attack on his party but on a "vast traditional and faith-based public" whose heritage and Torah leaders are treated with "condescension and discrimination." He emphasized that Rabbi Yosef's legacy "lives in the hearts of millions and will continue to illuminate generations."

Following the High Court's decision, the memorial event will not take place. Shas had petitioned the court against the Attorney General's decision to prevent the event, arguing it effectively canceled the commemoration. The party's legal representative, Guy Bussi, accused the Attorney General of deliberately obstructing the event and engaging in "deliberate and systematic harassment against the faith-based public and against Rabbi Ovadia Yosef in particular."

Deri linked the court's ruling to his party's broader campaign for judicial reform, declaring, "This decision only strengthens our resolve to fundamentally reform the justice system and return power to the people and their elected officials." He vowed that neither the Supreme Court nor the Attorney General could stop the commemoration of Rabbi Yosef's heritage.