Herzog urges national unity in call with Ra’anana rabbi after right-wing riot

President Isaac Herzog spoke last night with the leader of the Kehillat Ra’anan Reform congregation in Ra’anana, Rabbi Chen Ben-Or Tsfoni, to “express his concern” after right-wing rioters stormed a Reform synagogue in the city on Memorial Day last week, the president’s office says.

“In these challenging times, we must remember that disagreement is legitimate — but hatred and violence are not. We must stand together, even when we do not see eye to eye,” Herzog said during the phone conversation, according to the statement from his office.

The president “condemned all forms of violence and intimidation, stressing that such acts have no place in Israeli society,” the statement adds.

Herzog “emphasized the importance of safeguarding freedom of expression and assembly for all citizens, regardless of political or religious affiliation,” and “reiterated that Israel’s strength lies in its social fabric and diversity, and that national unity must be regarded as a strategic asset.”

The phone call came after Herzog spoke last week with Israel Police Chief Danny Levy, “urging a thorough investigation and calling for accountability for those responsible for the violence.”

Protestors stormed the Beit Samueli Reform synagogue in Ra’anana last Tuesday as people gathered to view a screening of a joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony, lightly injuring four officers and three participants.

Police said they arrested three people suspected of assault during the riot.