Chief Rabbi Delivers Scathing Rebuke of Supreme Court Decision to Halt Yeshiva Funding

ISRAEL (VINnews) —  Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef sharply criticized the Israeli Supreme Court over its decision to halt funding to yeshivas. The Sephardic Chief Rabbi called them “foolish judges”, asked “where are your brains?”, and emphasized that especially now during wartime, when the nation needs the merits more than ever, the court is “cutting off the branch” it sits on.

Speaking at a Lag Ba’omer event in Jerusalem, Rabbi Yosef said “These are foolish judges. Instead of giving more money to the yeshivas, they give pennies to the married yeshiva students.”

“Instead of raising it, they went and cut it. For nearly two months there has been no money for the yeshiva world. Where are your brains? We are in such a difficult situation, and when there is a war, we need merits for the nation of Israel. Instead of supporting that, you are cutting off the branch you are sitting on.”

He said, “Our Torah helps our soldiers, all of the wounded. If G-d would give them brains, they would bring back all of the budgets. In normal times, they should have quit the government – what kind of government is this? They are waiting for them to join a government with the Left and then whatever we want, they will give us, while the Right always makes us problems.”

The decision to halt the funding took effect last month, after the exemption allowing yeshiva students to avoid military enlistment officially expired. However the government is in the process of formulating a compromise draft bill, in order to hopefully resolve the highly contentious issue.