Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef pushed back against claims he disparaged the IDF, insisting he honors soldiers’ sacrifices and that his remarks on enlistment were distorted.
Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef addressed the firestorm over his comments on IDF enlistment, telling his students that critics had deliberately twisted his words to suggest he opposes soldiers.
“I said our Torah protects all soldiers, and there were those who twisted my words as if I had spoken against the IDF,” Rabbi Yosef stressed. “No one has gone like I did during the Iron Swords war to all the bases—air, land, and sea. Among them are many God-fearing people who set aside time for Torah study.”
Rabbi Yosef explained that his intention was to emphasize the dual importance of military defense and Torah study, drawing on King David’s example of balancing soldiers with Torah-learners:
“G-d forbid, hatred for soldiers? We value what they do—Iron Dome, defending the land. But their strength must stem from the Torah, that’s all.”
He clarified that his criticism of hesder yeshivot, which combine Torah study with army service, was aimed only at a small number of deans—not the institutions or students themselves.
Underscoring his close ties with the Religious Zionist community, Rabbi Yosef praised figures such as Rabbi Tzvi Kostiner of Mitzpe Ramon, calling him “a righteous and G-d-fearing man,” and noted his friendships with Religious Zionist judges including Rabbis Zion Luz, Moshe Amsalem, and Shlomo Shapira.
“We would even joke together in the religious court,” he recalled, stressing that his commitment is to unity, not division.
