Israel’s Chief Rabbi Defends Colleague Against Public Complaints Commissioner’s Ruling on Sabbath Comments

Israel’s Chief Rabbi Kalman Bar has issued a strong letter opposing the decision by the Public Complaints Commissioner for Judges, retired judge Asher Cola, regarding complaints against Chief Rabbi David Yosef. Cola ruled that the complaint against Yosef for his remarks criticizing Supreme Court judges over Sabbath hearings was justified, stating that the issue did not fall within the core duties of the Chief Rabbi and that some of Yosef’s language was inappropriate. However, Chief Rabbi Bar fully supports Yosef, asserting that defending the sanctity of the Sabbath is a fundamental public duty of the Chief Rabbi, not an overreach of authority.

In his letter, Bar emphasized that the Sabbath is a central element of Israel’s Jewish identity and that the Chief Rabbinate is obligated to speak out against any harm to its public status. He clarified that Yosef’s comments were not personal attacks but responses to judicial decisions made in an official capacity, and that silence would have been a failure to fulfill his public responsibility. Bar cited historical precedents from previous Chief Rabbis, including Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and others, who saw protesting public desecration of the Sabbath as integral to the Chief Rabbinate’s mission.

Cola’s ruling criticized Yosef’s use of terms like "these insolent judges" and "the Supreme Court is the enemy of Judaism," calling them beyond legitimate criticism and potentially damaging to public trust. However, Cola dismissed a separate complaint against Yosef for opposing a Supreme Court ruling requiring the Rabbinate to allow women to take rabbinical exams, recognizing that issue as within the Chief Rabbi’s core authority. No sanctions were imposed on Yosef. The dispute highlights tensions over the role of religious authority in public discourse and judicial independence in Israel.