After Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef was elected to the Reforms and the High Court, the Ombudsman ruled:
"The committee for selecting judges must convene as soon as possible and decide whether the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, who serves as president of the rabbinical courts, should continue in his role as a judge in the Grand Rabbinical Court," retired Judge Uri Shoham, the Ombudsman for Judges.
The decision was given in response to a complaint to the Commissioner of the Reform Movement about harsh and inappropriate remarks by the rabbi against reformers, women and the High Court. In his decision, Justice Shoham mentioned that his recommendation to disciplinary prosecute Rabbi Yosef in March this year was ignored. "This is a judge who time and time again does not refer to what has been decided in his case, and time and time again worsens his statements, and continues to declare that decisions and rulings of the Supreme Court will not be respected by him," Judge Shoham wrote in his decision.
The Reform Movement's attorney, Adv. Uri Nerov, detailed Rabbi Yosef's statements on July 9 on the Kikar Hashabat website against the High Court and the Reformers, and claimed that they "undermine the fundamental values of the State of Israel, and above all - the principles of equality and respect. To a person as far as he is a person. "
Retired Judge Shoham accepted the argument, adding that, "In my opinion, it is not possible to be satisfied with a determination that this is a justified complaint, but (the provisions of section 22 (e) of the Public Complaints Commissioner Law must be used, which states that the Commissioner may recommend to the selection committee Judges terminate the term of office of a judge according to its authority. "
In response to the complaint, the head of Rabbi Yosef's bureau replied that a distinction should be made between the role of the rabbi as a dayan and his role as chief rabbi, an argument that has been repeated in previous complaints.
"In his role as chief rabbi, he serves as a spiritual beacon as a roadmap and a guide for many who are embarrassed.
The commissioner rejected this claim and wrote: "Wonder - does the dayan really think that the rules of ethics of the dayanim will not apply to a dayan who also serves as chief rabbi or mayor? Does Rabbi Yosef believe that a dayan who also serves as chief rabbi can fire as much as he pleases and declare brish Gali will ignore the Supreme Court's ruling and speak out against large publics in the State of Israel. "
As stated, this is not the first time that Rabbi Yosef has spoken harshly, and sometimes even contemptuously, against this or that public.
In March of this year, the Commissioner decided that they, to disciplinary prosecute the Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, due to his controversial statements in recent years.
In a long and detailed letter, he noted that Rabbi Yosef had failed in his language and expressed himself in an inappropriate manner time and time again, and therefore action should be taken in this matter.
The order was received in response to a complaint by the Yisrael Beiteinu party and the party's chairman, MK Avigdor Lieberman, filed after Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef was documented as allegedly going against the new immigrants from the former Soviet Union and calling them "communists, hostile to religion, haters of religion and complete Gentiles." And yes, according to Lieberman and Yisrael Beiteinu, he doubted their Judaism.
The complaint alleges that Rabbi Yosef "denied the right of immigrants from the Commonwealth of Independent States to immigrate to the State of Israel" and "instructed the dayanim involved in conversion not to engage in conversion in the Diaspora and not to recognize the conversion of those who converted in state courts."
As a result, they announced that he would contact the Minister of Religions in order for him to file a complaint to the Disciplinary Court in the case of Rabbi Yosef.
However, the Minister of Religions did nothing with this request.
Gilad Karib, director general of the Reform Movement: "Israel's chief rabbi is a violator of a serial law, whose contempt for the rules of the system by virtue of which he serves and receives a competitor's salary only with the contempt he has for millions of Jews who do not share his religious path.
Like all senior office holders in the country the chief rabbis are not above the law, and are prior to all public servants.
If Rabbi Yosef does not know how to act according to the rules and is not educated to conduct disputes in a moral and ethical manner, he should take off his cloak and resign. "
Rabbi Kariv added:" Rabbi Yosef's rude, aggressive and condescending conduct folds all the reasons for the Israeli public And there is in it not only contempt for the law but also blasphemy.
The reform movement in Israel will continue to fight for the actual immunity that rabbis have taken for themselves, and will not allow Rabbi Yosef and his associates to turn public office into an ax of hatred and incitement against the Reform Jews and against any other public. "
