From the Liveblog of
Sunday, February 15, 2026
Ex-chief rabbi says Haredi rioters who attacked female soldiers should be expelled from community
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Former Sephardic chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef calls for expelling those who took part in today’s mob attack against two female soldiers in Bnei Brak from the Haredi community, insisting that their actions do not comport with Torah values.
“One must strongly condemn the handful of rioters who desecrate the Name of Heaven. The ways of the Torah of Israel are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace; there is no place for such behavior among us. They must be denounced and cast out from the community,” the rabbi declares in a statement.
Yosef is the son of the late Shas party’s spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef and wields major influence within the faction.
The Times of Israel Community.