MK Michael Fuah Challenges Supreme Court Judge Itzhak Amit Wearing Tefillin in Heated Hearing

Michael Fuah, chairman of the organization "Choosing Family," appeared at the Israeli Supreme Court wearing tefillin during a sensitive hearing to protest the state's alleged illegal harvesting of organs from fallen soldiers. Fuah's act, intended to defend the dignity of the deceased and Jewish tradition, was met with open cynicism and disdain by Supreme Court Judge Itzhak Amit, who reportedly mocked the religious symbol and dismissed its significance. While Judge Noam Sohlberg engaged respectfully and showed knowledge of the tefillin custom, Amit, considered a potential successor to the Supreme Court president, expressed discomfort and derision toward Fuah's display of Jewish pride, sarcastically commenting on the court as a "holy place" and threatening to impose secular laws on sacred sites.

Fuah criticized the court for ignoring the core issue of human rights violations, accusing the state of conducting organ harvesting without legal or administrative oversight, in direct contradiction to Jewish law forbidding post-mortem surgeries. He described the situation as a total trampling of Jewish human rights in Israel, with bureaucrats making unilateral decisions and judges focusing on mocking religious symbols instead of addressing the abuses. Despite the hostile atmosphere, Fuah affirmed his commitment to continue appearing with tefillin as a statement of Jewish identity and resistance to judicial disregard.

The incident highlights a deep rift between the judiciary and segments of the Jewish public regarding respect for tradition and the role of the court in protecting citizens' rights. Fuah's protest and Amit's reaction have sparked debate about the judiciary's sensitivity to religious expression and the state's handling of ethical issues related to fallen soldiers.