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Rabbi Yosef: Secular IDF soldiers are killed because they aren't observant
By Haaretz Service
Tags: IDF, Shas, secular 

Shas party spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a former Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel, told followers in remarks broadcast on Monday that Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed in combat because they did not observe Jewish religious laws.

"Is it any wonder if, heaven forbid, soldiers are killed in a war?" Rabbi Yosef said during his weekly Saturday night sermon.

"They don't observe the Sabbath, they don't observe [the laws of] the Torah, they don't pray, they don't put on phylacteries every day. Is it any wonder that they're killed? It's no wonder. May the Almighty have mercy on them and bring them back to religion.
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Israeli media accounts of the sermon also quoted Rabbi Yosef as saying that when soldiers "believe and pray, God helps them during the war" and that these troops "don't get killed."

The comments sparked wide criticism. Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said that he was "pained by the statements."

"Casualties to civilians and soldiers make no distinction between those who are more exacting [in their religious observance] and those who are less."

David Einhorn, father of a soldier killed in the Second Lebanon War a year ago, strongly criticized the rabbi for his comments. Einhorn said his son was killed just before he was to put on phylacteries for prayer.

Rabbi Yosef has often been at the center of controversy for comments made at the weekly sermons. He once attacked Meretz party leader Yossi Sarid, comparing him to Haman, villain of the Purim story, put to death by hanging. "He is Satan, may his name and memory be erased," the rabbi said. Cursed is Haman, cursed is Yossi Sarid. He will be uprooted from the seed of Israel. Just as revenge was wrought on Haman, so it will be wrought on him."

In the past, he also blamed the destruction of Hurricane Katrina on American support for the 2005 disengagement from Gaza, and made statements which seemed to call for annihilation of Arabs.

Yishai: Everything he says is the word of God
Shas Chairman and cabinet minister Eli Yishai came to the rabbi's defense later on Monday, saying that Rabbi Yosef was stressing "that that all of Israel is responsible for one another. If I sin, that can affect IDF soldiers."

According to Yishai, "the rabbi prays every day and every Shabbat for the safe return home of IDF soldiers. When an IDF soldier is killed, the rabbi sheds tears, he cries. He gathers everyone and says, let us pray. Every one of us is commanded and obligated to pray, to observe the [laws of the] Torah and the commandments, for the sake of IDF soldiers. When a soldier is hurt in the IDF, we see this as the fault of all the people of Israel who must return to religion.

"My rabbi does not err," Yishai told Army Radio. "Everything he says is the word of God."

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  1.   Rabbi Yosef`s comments 10:57  |  Howard Weiser 27/08/07
  2.   RABBI YOSEF 11:39  |  DAVID 27/08/07
  3.   Enlist the yeshiva boys 11:44  |  doron 27/08/07
  4.   If this is reported correctly. IDIOT 11:52  |  PETER.SM 27/08/07
  5.   Rabbi, Dear Rabbi 11:55  |  ALIEN 27/08/07
  6.   Is he misinterpreted? 11:57  |  Joseph 27/08/07
  7.   Misquoted 11:57  |  Mark 27/08/07
  8.   Ahavas Yisrael 12:01  |  Ben Azai 27/08/07
  9.   Is life so simple? 12:06  |  Motic 27/08/07
  10.   Saving lives 12:09  |  Joe 27/08/07
  11.   Rabbi Yosef`s Comment 12:13  |  Pablo Podgaezky 27/08/07
  12.   Ovadia Yosef statement on secular soldier 12:28  |  fabuleux 27/08/07
  13.   Roger Water: "Did They Expect Us to Treat Them With Any Respect?" 12:33  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 27/08/07
  14.   The secular fight, the religious pray 12:37  |  Mike 27/08/07
  15.   THE VOICE FROM THE MIDDLE AGES.... 12:40  |  Robert 27/08/07
  16.   It`s true! Do you know of any 12:45  |  Shmulik 27/08/07
  17.   Rabbi Mollah 12:52  |  Brauner 27/08/07
  18.   Had Rabbi Yosef been ... 12:53  |  Cynical 27/08/07
  19.   What exactly is wrong with his comments? 13:02  |  S Judah 27/08/07
  20.   Dementia 13:03  |  Anna Steiner 27/08/07
  21.   Yishai - Maybe Yosef is MORE than just the messenger of God 13:10  |  Uri Har-El 27/08/07
  22.   ungrateful shmock. mouth of lashon harra! 13:15  |  abe 27/08/07
  23.   Secular soldiers 13:20  |  Naim S. Mahlab 27/08/07
  24.   Specious nonsense 13:25  |  Bruno 27/08/07
  25.   silence is golden 13:33  |  sam 27/08/07
  26.   Our Government Horse Trades for Votes With This Man 13:36  |  Simon 27/08/07
  27.   rabbi ovadia yosef 13:37  |  Jack 27/08/07
  28.   DISGUSTING PERSON- NO RABBI 13:37  |  JON FEIGENBAUM 27/08/07
  29.   Dimentia would be the only excuse 13:43  |  Esther 27/08/07
  30.   The Rabbi only likes what he sees in the mirror 13:48  |  Sam 27/08/07
  31.   Anti Ovadia rubbish by spouted by the ignorant 13:58  |  S Judah 27/08/07
  32.   Large % of dead where Religous Soldiers 14:00  |  Jabadini 27/08/07
  33.   Wrong approach 14:21  |  David 27/08/07
  34.   THE RABBI IS RIGHT 14:28  |  indrajaya 27/08/07
  35.   #16 14:41  |  Sol 27/08/07
  36.   Move Over Jay Leno 14:52  |  Harry D 27/08/07
  37.   Rabbi Ovadia Yosef should enlist today! 14:55  |  Murray of Montreal 27/08/07
  38.   If what the Rabbi says is correct then one solution 14:58  |  Zev 27/08/07
  39.   RABBI PLEASE EXPALIN WHY THE HAREDIM DIE AT ALL ? 15:13  |  PAUL HARRIS 27/08/07
  40.   Rabbi Ovadia is a great rabbi 15:15  |  Maimon 27/08/07
  41.   RABBI YOSSEF 15:24  |  Chaoul 27/08/07
  42.   Quite a good idea Zev 15:31  |  Mark Lincoln 27/08/07
  43.   rabbi oy 15:34  |  Jack 27/08/07
  44.   Ancient times of war 15:37  |  jbg 27/08/07
  45.   G-D is MERCIFUL ! 15:37  |  Linda Rivera 27/08/07
  46.   Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is a medieval idiot 15:40  |  PARIS 27/08/07
  47.   Surprise, surprise 15:41  |  Ahooo 27/08/07
  48.   Your rabbi 16:07  |  christoph 27/08/07
  49.   Ovadia is a Fake Rabbi 16:13  |  Dovy 27/08/07
  50.   # 31 S. Judah 16:14  |  17 27/08/07
  51.   what a rubbish! 16:17  |  saul a. readner 27/08/07
  52.   more drivel 16:19  |  Paul Freedman 27/08/07
  53.   A pathetic anachronism 16:22  |  Ky 27/08/07
  54.   ovadia iosef 16:23  |  scanadu 27/08/07
  55.   Rabbis in israel 16:23  |  Jack 27/08/07
  56.   The Jewish Jerry Falwell 16:26  |  Chaim Gorenstein 27/08/07
  57.   Yosef Ovadiah 16:26  |  Robert 27/08/07
  58.   the holocaust justifier 16:27  |  michael 27/08/07
  59.   THIS COMMENT - IF TRUE AND ACCURATE 16:27  |  D 27/08/07
  60.   Yosef is a Goy 16:30  |  Chaim Gorenstein 27/08/07
  61.   Rabbi Josef 16:31  |  usher buchwalter 27/08/07
  62.   Jewish Psycopaths and Muslim Psycopaths 16:31  |  Larry 27/08/07
  63.   Rav Ovadia`s alleged comments 16:32  |  mark 27/08/07
  64.   For Harry D #36 16:32  |  Esther 27/08/07
  65.   Ovadia is evil 16:34  |  Sidney 27/08/07
  66.   how dare you: to # 8 16:37  |  effie 27/08/07
  67.   TEMPEST IN A TEAPOT 16:41  |  BILL HANDEL 27/08/07
  68.   Jabadini - shush now, don`t confuse the issue 16:42  |  Mark Lincoln 27/08/07
  69.   Rabbi Yosef 16:48  |  Monique 27/08/07
  70.   Just another fundie nutcase 16:49  |  Timmy 27/08/07
  71.   Tippesh gadol 16:50  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 27/08/07
  72.   Zev - that already is the case 16:51  |  Dr David I. Gross 27/08/07
  73.   Where the Orthodox are wrong 16:51  |  ScotGuy 27/08/07
  74.   Rabbi`s nonsense 16:54  |  Micharl T 27/08/07
  75.   Modern day Ghost Dancers 16:58  |  bobby 27/08/07
  76.   He is not a settler and he supports Olmert! 17:01  |  Shlomo T 27/08/07
  77.   the rabbi and the common sense 17:02  |  scanadu 27/08/07
  78.   most jews are shamed by this idiot 17:06  |  michael 27/08/07
  79.   So why don`t the haredim enlist?! 17:15  |  McQueen 27/08/07
  80.   Margie in Tel Aviv 17:23  |  GABE1 27/08/07
  81.   #70, Michael 17:24  |  Silvienne 27/08/07
  82.   For Shlomo T #68 17:28  |  Esther