Rabbi cursed the IDF Chief of Staff: why is Israel arguing again about Haredim, the army, and red lines

In the evening of June 29, 2026, a protest took place in Bnei Brak against the arrests of ultra-Orthodox individuals who did not respond to the army draft.

The rally quickly went beyond the usual political debate about the service of Haredim in the IDF. One of the prominent Sephardic rabbis, Aryeh Yazdi, sharply attacked the IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and called him ‘cursed.’ He then uttered a formula that sounds particularly harsh in Jewish tradition: ‘may his name and memory be erased.’

After this, the discussion in Israel was not only about the draft of Haredim but also about incitement against the army command.

What happened in Bnei Brak

According to Israeli media, hundreds of participants attended the rally in Bnei Brak. The reason was the arrests of yeshiva students whom the army considers draft dodgers after receiving draft notices.

In his speech, Rabbi Aryeh Yazdi accused the IDF of allegedly ‘uprooting the Torah, faith, and the Messiah,’ and urged Haredim not to serve. His words were spoken against the backdrop of a general protest against the new legal reality, where the previous system of mass deferments no longer works as it used to.

A separate reason for Yazdi’s attack was an incident with a soldier who wore an unauthorized ‘Messiah’ patch on his uniform. The rabbi claimed that the Chief of Staff ‘sent the soldier to prison because he longed for the Messiah.’

The army views this story differently: it was not about the soldier’s religious views but about a violation of uniform, regulations, and discipline. For the IDF, this is a fundamental line because the army cannot become a space for personal symbols, political slogans, or religious demonstrations on uniforms.

Why Yazdi’s formula caused such a shock

The phrase ‘may his name and memory be erased’ is not an ordinary insult.

In Jewish tradition, it is one of the most severe cursing formulas. It is usually associated with the names of enemies of the Jewish people, such as Haman from the Book of Esther or Hitler. Therefore, when such a phrase was directed at the current IDF Chief of Staff, the reaction was almost immediate.

For the Israeli audience, the religious meaning is not the only important aspect here. In a country where the army is at war, and reservists and conscripts bear a heavy burden, a curse against the Chief of Staff is perceived as a blow to the very legitimacy of military command.

Reaction of politicians: from condemnation to demands for investigation

Defense Minister Israel Katz was one of the first to condemn Yazdi’s speech. He stated that even in deep public disagreements, one cannot cross red lines and incite against those responsible for the state’s security.

President of Israel Isaac Herzog called the rabbi’s words shocking. According to him, there is no place for curses, humiliation, and rhetoric against the Chief of Staff in the draft debate — the commander of the army in which the sons and daughters of Israelis serve.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the statements against the Chief of Staff on the morning of June 30. He called the remarks shameful and emphasized that in any disagreements, severe incitement against the IDF and its commanders should not be allowed.

The Shas party, whose deputies were present at the event, later distanced itself from Yazdi’s words. The movement’s statement said that these extremist statements do not reflect the position of the Council of Torah Sages and contradict the path of Shas.

Knesset member Vladimir Beliak from ‘Yesh Atid’ appealed to the government’s legal advisor demanding a criminal investigation against Rabbi Aryeh Yazdi after his words against the Chief of Staff.

In this scandal, for Israeli society, not only one phrase is important but the entire atmosphere around it. Nikk.Agency — Israel News | Nikk.Agency follows such topics precisely because the debate about the draft of Haredim has long ceased to be an internal dispute between religious parties and the army: it concerns security, budget, equality of citizens, and trust in state institutions.

What Isaac Yosef said

At the same rally, former Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel and spiritual leader of the Shas party Isaac Yosef spoke.

According to Israeli media reports, he stated that Israeli soldiers die ‘because of the persecution of those studying the Torah.’ This phrase also drew sharp criticism because it was spoken at a time when the families of fallen soldiers and thousands of reservists bear the direct cost of war.

For part of the Haredi audience, studying the Torah remains the main spiritual contribution to the defense of Israel. For many other Israelis, such logic seems like an attempt to shift the military burden onto those who serve, fight, and risk their lives.

Main background: the Haredi draft crisis

The scandal in Bnei Brak occurred against the backdrop of a prolonged crisis surrounding the service of ultra-Orthodox in the IDF.

On June 25, 2024, the High Court of Justice ruled that after the expiration of the previous legal scheme, the state cannot continue to massively exempt yeshiva students from the draft without an active law. The court also indicated that funding for yeshivas cannot continue for students who are obligated to serve but do not undergo the draft procedure.

Since then, the issue has become even more acute. For Haredi parties, maintaining the deferment system is a key political demand. For the army, it is a matter of personnel, especially against the backdrop of war, the burden on reservists, and the need to replenish combat and support units.

Each new arrest of yeshiva students who did not respond to draft notices triggers protests. Attempts to advance a new draft law repeatedly lead to coalition crises because in Israel, this dispute touches on several sensitive topics: religion, security, equality of duties, and the survival of the government.

Why this is important for Israel now

The story with Aryeh Yazdi became another signal that the language of internal conflict in Israel is becoming more dangerous.

It’s one thing to argue about the draft law, quotas, the status of yeshiva students, and the role of the Torah in the life of the state. It’s another thing to use curses and formulas that in Jewish memory are associated with the enemies of the people, against the IDF Chief of Staff.

Israel can and should debate the model of Haredi service. But if the political and religious debate turns into delegitimization of the army and its commanders, it is no longer an ordinary discussion. It is a matter of public safety in a country that is simultaneously at war, debating the future of its coalition, and trying to maintain internal unity.

This is precisely why the reaction to Yazdi’s words was so harsh. In Israel, there may be different views on the draft of Haredim, but a curse against the Chief of Staff became a crossing of the red line for many.