The High Court of Justice issues a temporary injunction asking the government to explain why Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar has not faced disciplinary sanctions despite years of inciting remarks.
The injunction comes following an appeal from the Reform Movement, the Women of the Wall, and the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance, citing years of hate speech.
The groups said they had appealed to the government 16 times in the last four years, but no action was taken. The position of city chief rabbi is a government-appointed position and he faces the same restrictions as other civil servants.
Earlier this year, Amar said it was “unbearable” that an openly gay man, Likud lawmaker Amir Ohana, was made Knesset speaker, calling the move an abomination.
In 2021, Amar compared the LGBTQ community to animals and mocked religious participants who take part in Pride Parades.
“They did the abomination parade, which they are supposedly proud of,” Amar said. “Wild animals don’t behave this way,” he added.
He has also called Reform Judaism more of a threat to the religion than secular Jews.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
