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Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (photo: Flash90)
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| By Israel Insider staff August 28, 2007 |
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Sharp criticism of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef featured prominently in local papers following his sermon on Saturday night, in which he said that troops killed in the Second Lebanon War lost their lives because they were not religious.
"Is it a wonder that soldiers who don't observe the Torah, don't pray every day and don't put on tefilin every day are killed in war? It is no wonder," the Jerusalem Post quoted Yosef as saying.
"Soldiers who are believers and who pray, God helps in wars. They are not killed," said Yosef.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that the people of Israel owed an unlimited debt of gratitude to the bereaved families. "We must reach out to them in every way possible and be supportive. Any statement otherwise could harm the bereaved families, especially if it relates to their lifestyle, which is their free will or the free will of the deceased, and is unacceptable," he said in response to Ovadia's words.
Eli Ben-Shem, chairman of the Yad Labanim organization, which represents families of fallen soldiers, called Yosef's remarks "shameful" and there had been many angry phone calls to the organization in response to the sermon, specifically from religious parents who "were hurt very badly."
Ben-Shem noted that a large proportion of the 112 families who lost children in the war were religious and learned in yeshivot. "It is specifically those religious people that have been hurt by the comments. Secular people don't pay much attention to him anyway," said Ben-Shem.
Meretz Chairman Yossi Beilin also condemned the rabbi for his remarks.
"Instead of Rabbi Yosef talking nonsense about the links between fulfillment of commandments and falling in battle, it would be better if he were to call those who take his words seriously - the yeshiva students - to join the army," Beilin said, referring to the overwhelming majority of ultra-Orthodox who are exempt from the army and do not perform national service.
Shas Chairman Eli Yishai said that Yosef's remarks were taken out of context. "The rabbi related to a Gemara, a quote from a time when righteous and God-fearing people used to join the army," the Shas chairman told Army Radio.
"The rabbi didn't invent it. He just said that from the Gemara's point of view, the people of Israel are all responsible for one another. If I sin, it can have an effect on the soldiers," he added.
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