Rabbi Urges Removal of Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef’s Sefarim After Remarks Against Religious Zionist Leader

JERUSALEM – Rabbi David Lankry, leader of the Shemesh U’Magen synagogue in Kochav Yaakov, has urged the public to remove the sefarim of Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef from their homes and synagogues, following the former Chief Rabbi’s disparaging comments about Rabbi Tamir Granot, head of the Orot Shaul Hesder Yeshiva.

In a sharply worded statement, Rabbi Lankry accused Rabbi Yosef of repeatedly humiliating the Religious Zionist community and belittling IDF soldiers. “When there’s a consistent pattern of attacks against those who serve in the army and live a life of Torah and work, it’s impossible to stay silent,” he said. “How long must we tolerate Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef’s hateful rhetoric toward the Zionist public?”

Lankry expressed outrage over Yosef’s claim that Rabbi Granot should not be counted in a minyan. “To question the rabbinic status of a Rosh Yeshiva and say he can’t be part of a prayer quorum is an insult not just to one man, but to an entire community,” he said. “You’re talking about a bereaved father who lost his son defending Israel. To call such people heretics is madness.”

Citing the Talmudic principle that “in a place where there is a desecration of Hashem’s name, no honor is due to a rabbi,” Rabbi Lankry said Yosef’s comments amounted to a grave chillul Hashem. “Again and again, an entire public is being humiliated,” he added.

Rabbi Lankry said he has already taken personal action. “I’ve removed his sefarim from my home,” he stated. “My advice to others is to do the same—take his sefarim out of your homes and synagogues.”

He concluded by recalling a very different tone from Rabbi Yosef’s late father, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. “I saw him cry when blessing IDF soldiers,” Rabbi Lankry said. “To speak now in such a way about people still mourning their loved ones is a disgrace and a desecration of Hashem’s name.”