In his weekly lesson on Saturday night at the Hezdim synagogue in Jerusalem, Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, chairman of the Council of Torah Sages, sharply condemned police violence against protesters and yeshiva students. He also attacked the attorney general, calling her “Jezebel,” and said U.S. President Donald Trump’s stance against Israel was not accidental.
Yosef said it is “very difficult” to bring police closer to religion when, in his words, they act with “hatred of Israel,” beat Torah students, humiliate them, and tear their pants. “It hurts,” he said, adding that the goal is to bring people back to repentance, but such scenes make that far harder. He contrasted this with efforts to speak to secular Israelis, whom he described as feeling emptiness in their lives and receptive to returning to observance.
He argued that yeshiva students have long been exempt from military service, saying that since David Ben-Gurion’s time they were spared and dedicated to Torah study, which he said protects the nation. He then tied Trump’s reversal toward Israel to what he called punitive measures against Torah students: “Why did Trump turn against us? Because of the decrees against men of Torah.”
Yosef said the government should strengthen Torah students instead of making arrests, and claimed the attorney general is issuing these orders. He described some police as “like a kidnapped child who does not know,” said they are difficult to bring back to religion, but insisted not all officers are the same. He said he has spoken at police gatherings before and found them respectful, and concluded that the Jewish people are fundamentally good.
