Rabbi who insulted the former military rabbi Yisrael Weiss - convicted

In an unusual ruling, Jerusalem Magistrates Court convicted yesterday (Tuesday) Rabbi Elitzur Segal for insulting a public worker. After the latter published an article in 2004 on Jewish leadership, in which he snapped a series of accusations and criticism against the former chief military rabbi, Brigadier General reserves Rabbi Yisrael Weiss.


The ruling of Judge Ilta Ziskind is extremely rare since a person is convicted of a criminal offense on the statement made against a public figure.

In the judgment the judge quoted some of the things written 8 years ago and led to the conviction of Rabbi Segal, "when the disengagement plan arose. Scheme involves the demolition of city land deportations of thousands of Jews, who if not the chief military rabbi was supposed to issue a halacha ruling forbidding any soldier officer or citizen to take part in this foul plan?"


Rabbi Segal also wrote, that according to the judgment: "But the army chaplain is not silent, but backs the plan from every platform. Chief Military Rabbi is a partner to cancel the commandment to settle the land considered as the whole Torah."

Rabbi Segal argued then that Rabbi Weiss was involved in a series of violations of the law, including a partnership murder, incest and desecration of Shabbos. "Since the establishment of the state female Israeli soldiers serves. But about 5 years ago, a change came about when their service became very close to men, which causes situations of severe incest prohibitions. The military Rabbi is silent about it, and his silence thunders more than a thousand speakers ... The military Rabbi is a partner to incest."

Segal argued that there was no insult in his words, but a professional opinion and to the point, which is part of freedom of expression. During his trial he pleaded not guilty, and claimed that he has evidence of the support of officers that said that Weiss did not fulfill his duties. He also presented the court with halachic sources which "support the conclusions", but the judge, was not impressed - which convicted him of insulting a public official.

"The defendant slammed the chief military rabbi with harsh words, accompanied by offensive unthinkable words," explained Ziskind in the judgment. It stated: "The article hit the core of the dignity and role of the rabbi, both as a religion and as a military man, and is therefore is as "publicly humiliates his friends, like spilled blood."


Segal's sentence will be given later on.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!