During his weekly lesson in Petah Tikva, Rabbi Yigal Cohen, head of the Yabia Omer institutions and a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council, strongly criticized the police violence that erupted at a protest on Highway 4 last week. After returning from a speaking tour abroad, he said he had to address the incident so no one would think religious leaders were silent.
Cohen said he is not in favor of demonstrations, but urged the officers involved to repent. He also stressed his respect for police work, saying they perform a “holy task” by maintaining order and protecting the public. Still, he said what he saw was a loss of basic humanity, describing the conduct as extreme cruelty and brutality.
He focused in particular on the treatment of ultra-Orthodox protesters, calling them Torah students and asking, “How do you hit a Torah scholar?” He said officers should have moved them respectfully, not beat them, and condemned the use of force against a 16-year-old. “You have lost your humanity,” he said, adding that the scene moved him to tears.
The protest took place Wednesday morning last week, when members of the Ratzpinik faction of the Jerusalem Faction blocked Highway 4 near the entrance to Bnei Brak. They were protesting the arrest of yeshiva students who refused to report to enlistment offices. Police and Yasam units arrived to reopen the road, but multiple accounts and widely shared videos showed what many described as disproportionate force, including beatings, rough dragging of seated protesters, injuries, blood, torn clothing, and damaged bodies on the asphalt.
