Shas spiritual leader stirs controversy after calling to dodge draft

One of Shas's leading spiritual leader of Shas, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, stirred up controversy that was met with condemnation by Israeli leaders on Sunday.

Last Thursday, Yosef said, "Even if one is idle, he is forbidden to join the army." He mentioned relatives who were Yeshiva students before "they went to the army and were ruined. They all became secular."

"The statement by the former Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef is wrong and deserves all condemnation. We will not accept expressions of insubordination from any side."

President Isaac Herzog also joined the condemnation, writing on X: "I strongly reject any call for refusal, absence, and non-volunteering! Service in the IDF is a great privilege. The IDF is ours, all of us. Any harm to it is a blow to the security of the State of Israel and its citizens. If someone did not understand this on October 7 - they should wake up urgently and act responsibly."

In addition, other politicians criticized the rabbi's remarks, including Education Minister Yoav Kish, a former combat pilot.

"Statements like the one made by Rabbi Yosef are unnecessary and scandalous," he said. "It is unthinkable that a chief rabbi would legitimize evasion and refusal. The rabbi's words are causing serious harm to Israeli society."

This comes as Justice Minister Yariv Levin is reviving his judicial reforms, but ultra-Orthodox parties have demanded that Yeshiva student draft exemptions be sanctioned in law.