Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Supports Sephardi Chief Rabbi's Defense of Shabbat

Israel's Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, Kalman Meir Bar, responded in a letter to retired judge Asher Kola, the Public Complaints Commissioner, regarding criticism of Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef. Kola had ruled that Yosef's remarks against Supreme Court judges exceeded legitimate criticism. In his letter, Rabbi Bar asserted that it is not only Yosef's right but also his duty as Chief Rabbi to defend the public status of Shabbat. He emphasized that the Chief Rabbinate throughout generations has consistently protected the sanctity of Shabbat in the public sphere, a stance upheld by all Chief Rabbis since the institution's founding.