Network of Religious Institutions Linked to Controversial Statements
A network of religious institutions in Israel, known as 'Yeshivot Ha'Kav' (the Line Yeshivas), which are associated with Rabbi Tzvi Tau and the Har HaMor Yeshiva in Jerusalem, has been a focal point for controversial statements and teachings. This stream within Religious Zionism, often described as 'hardal' (a portmanteau of Haredi and Dati Leumi), educates thousands of students. Rabbi Tau is also identified as the spiritual leader of the Noam party.
The institutions, including the Har HaMor Yeshiva founded in 1997 and the Bnei David pre-military academy established in 1988, have been associated with various public pronouncements by their leading rabbis. These include Rabbi Tau's 2017 call for 'civil disobedience' against a directive for joint male-female military service, Rabbi Eliezer Kashtiel's 2019 statement on 'racism,' and Rabbi Tau's 2023 remarks about 'treating' and 'healing' the LGBTQ+ community.
Statements regarding women's roles have also been prominent. In 2017, Rabbi Tau opposed joint service, calling it a loss of sanity and morality, and urged public protest. Rabbi Eli Sadan, a co-founder of Bnei David, has spoken about women's special roles and called feminism a 'crime' for encouraging women to be independent. Rabbi Yigal Levinstein has expressed discomfort with women in combat roles and the military environment. Rabbi Tzvi Kostiner stated that a 'Jewish army is an army without girls' and discouraged women from enlisting. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner has compared countries that draft women to Pakistan, Chile, Turkey, and North Korea, and previously suggested women should not serve as Knesset members.
Regarding the LGBTQ+ community, statements have included Rabbi Tau's 2023 call to 'treat' and 'heal' individuals, Rabbi Sadan's suggestion that such issues can be psychological and treatable, and Rabbi Levinstein's past use of the term 'deviants' while also issuing a clarification that his words were misinterpreted and everyone has a place in the IDF. Rabbi Kostiner has also made strong anti-LGBTQ+ statements.
Concerning the Arab population, Rabbi Kashtiel was reported in 2019 to have stated that 'we believe in racism' and that Arabs have 'genetic problems.' Rabbi Sternberg suggested the area around Har HaMor should be closed to Arabs for security reasons, and Rabbi Aviner stated that Arabs must understand the land belongs to Israelis.
