Top Rabbi Slams 'Genocidal' State, Urges Vote Amid Conscription Debate
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Rabbi Shariel Rosenberg criticized Israel as a "corrupt state that commits genocide" at a Degel HaTorah rally, while also stressing the duty to vote. Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that those refusing conscription would face jail. Moshe Gafni, chairman of Degel HaTorah, called the current election a "war for spiritual life and death" and vowed the Haredi public would protect Torah study.
The story in 4 lines · by baba
- Rabbi Shariel Rosenberg called Israel a "corrupt state that commits genocide" at a rally.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that draft dodgers would go to jail.
- Moshe Gafni described the election as a "war for spiritual life and death."
- Gafni vowed the Haredi public would prevent an end to Torah study in Israel.
Rabbi Shariel Rosenberg, Ga'avad of the Bnei Brak Rabbinical Court and a prominent rabbi of the Degel HaTorah party, sharply criticized the state during a party rally attended by thousands on Tuesday. He addressed the obligation to vote in the upcoming elections, responding to a sentiment that one cannot vote in a "corrupt state that commits genocide." Rabbi Rosenberg countered by asking if the state was not corrupt or involved in "genocide of Yemen's children" during the time of the Chazon Ish, emphasizing that voting was always a duty.
Whoever says 'we will die rather than enlist' will go to jail." This statement was made in the context of the ongoing debate surrounding the conscription of Haredim into the IDF.
Moshe Gafni, Chairman of Degel HaTorah, also spoke at the rally, describing the current election as a "war for spiritual life and death." He contrasted the current right-wing government with past left-wing governments, noting that the left, which previously threatened him, knew how to keep its promises, unlike the right. Gafni specifically mentioned the conscription issue being raised by the current government.
Gafni asserted that the core issue is whether Torah study in Israel will cease, a prospect he vowed would never happen. He declared that the Haredi public would not allow either the left or the religious Zionist right to end Torah study, attributing the state's existence to Torah scholars.
