Former Israeli chief rabbi calls Religious Zionist rabbi whose son was killed fighting Hezbollah a ‘heretic’ for supporting Haredi enlistment

With the controversy over the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) men once again dominating Israeli politics in recent days, the simmering tensions between the Haredi and the Religious Zionist communities came to a head on Monday.

Former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel and spiritual leader of the Shas party, Yitzhak Yosef, called a Tel Aviv rabbi a heretic after the latter publicly voiced support for drafting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students into the military.

Speaking on the Kol Hai radio broadcast on Sunday, Yosef criticized Rabbi Tamir Granot, head of Yeshivat Orot Shaul – a "hesder" yeshiva in southern Tel Aviv – after Granot publicly called for the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.

A hesder is a religious studies program that combines Talmudic studies with military service, often within a Religious Zionist framework. The hesder program allows Orthodox Jewish men to serve in the Israeli military while still engaging in Torah study – a model that most ultra-Orthodox yeshivas reject.

During the broadcast, Yosef mentioned rabbis who had “attacked” him.

Granot criticized the former chief rabbi in March 2024 – about five months after his son, Captain Amitay Granot, was killed while fighting Hezbollah forces on the border of Lebanon – over Yosef’s opposition to the enlistment of yeshiva students into the military.

“Several heads of yeshivot attacked me,” Yosef stated. “There was one rabbi – I don’t know if he’s a rabbi – Granot, the head of a hesder yeshiva. The way he spoke against us on television – aren’t you afraid of the humiliation of Torah scholars?”

“I think there are some of them that, if they come to join the minyan, we won't accept them. They are heretics. Not all of them,” Yosef said.

Yosef went on to call Granot a heretic for calling for enlistment. “Who is an apikores?” Yosef said, using a rabbinic Jewish term for a heretic. “He who says… ‘Everyone go to the army.’”

Yosef was one of the ultra-Orthodox rabbis who threatened to leave Israel if the government began sanctioning or even arresting yeshiva students who refused to enlist.

“You need to ask forgiveness from my wife, from her tears, and go up to Mount Herzl and ask forgiveness from Amitay, a Yeshiva student and combat soldier, and from all the righteous, holy, and pure Torah scholars who chose to fight, and also from those who are not Torah scholars but gave their lives,” Granot said, condemning Rabbi Yosef last year.

Yosef’s comments drew criticism from Religious Zionism party head, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who defended Granot, saying, “Rabbi Tamir Granot is a scholar and a pleasant-mannered man who publicly sanctifies the name of God.”

“He lost his son, the hero Amitay, in the war, and since then has dedicated his days to increasing light, unity, and love,” Smotrich continued.

“Whoever allows himself to belittle him is disgracing himself, publicly desecrating the name of God, and is increasing unnecessary hatred and discord, and we will have no part with him.”

Smotrich added that he is "proud to lead a community that has Torah and good-mannered conduct and knows how to respect even those who think differently from him and manage disputes for the sake of heaven.”

The conflict erupted against the backdrop of a large anti-enlistment rally that several senior rabbis plan to hold this week, with over 100,000 Haredis expected to participate.

The coalition is set to discuss the latest iteration of a proposed bill for a new IDF draft law on Thursday.