‘May G-d kill, destroy the judges,’ Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef denounces ruling restricting Western Wall prayers
Former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef on Sunday denounced the High Court of Justice’s ruling restricting attendance at the Kosel Plaza for prayer services during Passover.
Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, who is the spiritual leader of the chareidi Shas party, denounced the decision, which was taken on Saturday, calling the judges “heretics… Shabbat desecrators.”
“All our troubles in religious matters with the state, including conscription of yeshiva students, are all because of these wicked judges. May [G-d] destroy and kill them,” he stated.
“If they hold a protest in Kaplan [Tel Aviv] with 600 people, then they should allow 600 people at the Kotel. There’s a place to immediately enter the [sheltered areas],” he added.
During Pesach, the Kosel usually hosts Birchas Kohanim with tens of thousands in attendance. Due to the security guidelines, it was been restricted to a nominal 50 attendees this year, and a requirement to do the bentching within the Kosel tunnels complex rather than the plaza.
Home Front Command has since raised the limit on attendance at the Kosel from 50 to 100, but that number is still significantly lower than what was allowed at the anti-war protest in Tel Aviv.
