Join our Community
Support ToI and remove all ads
Learn more
×

Shmuel Eliyahu

Female candidates take a rabbinical test administered by the Chief Rabbinate at the Religious Services Ministry in Jerusalem on April 27, 2026. (Chief Rabbinate)
May 25, 2026, 5:12 pm
Chief Rabbinate scraps session of rabbinical tests required to be open to women
Modern Orthodox rabbi says decision ‘sends a deeply troubling message’; Rabbinate spokesperson claims test will be administered in the fall
By Rossella Tercatin
Druze residents protest near the Israeli-Syrian border fence in solidarity with their community in Syria, in Majdal Shams, July 16, 2025. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)
July 17, 2025, 4:53 pm
Prominent Israeli rabbis back intervention in Syria on behalf of Druze
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber and Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu issue statements stressing the bond between Israel and the Druze, describe assisting them as a moral duty
By Rossella Tercatin and Agencies
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu attends a Lag B'Omer celebration in Safed, on May 26, 2024. (David Cohen/Flash90)
July 22, 2024, 8:05 pm
Top religious Zionist rabbis call for scrapping ‘dangerous’ hostage deal
Clerics with sway over coalition’s hard-line flank argue risk posed by possible agreement trumps imperative to free captives; senior UTJ lawmaker Gafni takes opposite position
By ToI Staff
Chief Rabbi of Safed Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu speaks at the 'Besheva' group, on February 7, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
November 14, 2023, 6:33 pm
Rabbi backs remark by his son, a far-right minister, that nuking Gaza is an option
Top Safed rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, no stranger to controversy, says authorities can’t fire him for echoing comments that got Minister Amichai Eliyahu suspended from cabinet meetings
By ToI Staff
PROMOTED CONTENT
Participants in the conference. (Photo credit: דמקה בית הפקה ירושלמי | אבי עשור)
July 24, 2023, 9:47 pm
Teens celebrate the power of connection at TorahNoar Unity Conference
“Sadly, in times of war and tragedy, the Jewish people knows very well how to be united. We shouldn’t have to wait for times of grief, God forbid”
By Tova Point
Chief Rabbi of Safed Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu speaks at a 'Besheva' group conference, on February 7, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
February 11, 2023, 5:33 pm
Top national religious rabbi says deadly quake in Turkey, Syria is divine justice
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, who is close to Itamar Ben Gvir and the father of a far-right minister, says disaster ‘cleanses the world, makes it better’; some rabbis aghast at comments
By ToI Staff
Israeli border police officers guard at the Tomb of Simeon the Just in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, October 23, 2022. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)
October 24, 2022, 1:41 am
Jerusalem deputy mayor, rabbi attacked by supporters of sex offender Berland
2 arrested after rioters throw stones at chief rabbi of Safed for his harsh criticism of criminal Rabbi Eliezer Berland; capital’s Deputy Mayor Aryeh King lightly injured
By ToI Staff
Rabbi Amichay Eliyahu (right) signs an agreement with party leader MK Itamar Ben Gvir to run in the No. 4 slot on the Otzma Yehudit electoral slate in the November 1, 2022 elections. (Twitter)
August 22, 2022, 8:50 am
Ben Gvir names scion of prominent rabbinic family to his far-right slate
Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu is grandson of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, a former chief Sephardic rabbi of Israel; Jonathan Pollard turns down chance to enter politics: ‘I’ve suffered enough’
By ToI Staff
Chief Rabbi of Safed Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu speaks at the 'Besheva' group, on February 7, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
May 31, 2022, 9:14 am
US nixes visa of Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, who’s been accused of racism – report
Safed chief rabbi, a leading national-religious figure, blames ‘anti-Zionists’ in the Reform movement for decision to cancel his travel document
By ToI Staff
Police stand in front of demonstrators from the Lehava Jewish extremist group at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, on April 22, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
September 13, 2021, 2:49 am
Prominent rabbis protest planned designation of far-right Lehava as terror group
Leading spiritual leaders say the organization, which works to stifle intermarriage and LGBT rights, ‘must be allowed to continue its important activities’
By ToI Staff
Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich at the party headquarters in Modi'in, on elections night, March 23, 2021. (Sraya Diamant/Flash90)
April 7, 2021, 5:54 pm
Smotrich threatens to expel Arab MK, other Muslims who don’t accept Jewish rule
Ahmad Tibi, of the Joint List, responds by calling Religious Zionism party leader a racist — in German
By Stuart Winer
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu in 2013. (Flash90/Yonatan Sindel)
September 21, 2020, 6:14 pm
High Court orders disciplinary action against Safed’s acerbic chief rabbi
Justices censure Shmuel Eliyahu for ‘degrading’ comments toward Arab Israelis, say former justice minister Shaked was ‘extremely unreasonable’ in deciding not to act against him
By ToI Staff
Jewish men pray at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City, April 19, 2020. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
May 17, 2020, 5:56 pm
As pressure from faithful mounts, government plans to reopen synagogues
With beaches packed and schools reopening, many have questioned the continued closure of houses of worship, which served as major vector for spread of COVID-19
By Sam Sokol
Jews pray at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem's Old City, February 16, 2020. Jewish faithful held a prayer session in search of divine intervention to help stave off the coronavirus in China. Poster in Hebrew and Chinese says, 'The People of Israel pray for China.' (Ariel Schalit/AP)
February 16, 2020, 10:27 pm
Mass prayer held at Western Wall amid coronavirus crisis
Nearly a thousand people participate in event, including dozens of Chinese citizens, family members of Israelis quarantined on cruise ship
By ToI Staff
Tens of thousands pray for forgivness (Selichot), at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on early on September 27, 2019. (Mendy Hechtman/Flash90)
February 16, 2020, 12:52 pm
Rabbis call for mass Western Wall prayer for coronavirus patients
‘The job of the Jewish people is to pray for the good of the entire world,’ says Safed chief rabbi, as overall death toll from China’s epidemic jumps to 1,665
By ToI Staff and Agencies
Load More
Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community
Paying ToI Community members are invited to comment on articles
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By joining you agree to the terms and conditions
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Join The Times of Israel Community
Only ToI Community members can comment below articles
Forgot your password? / Send me a login link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.
Join The Times of Israel Community
Commenting is available for paying members of The Times of Israel Community only. Please join our Community to comment and enjoy other Community benefits.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Confirm Mail
Thank you! Now check your email
You are now a member of The Times of Israel Community! We sent you an email with a login link to . Once you're set up, you can start enjoying Community benefits and commenting.
Back to top
Never miss breaking news on Israel
Get notifications to stay updated
You're subscribed
image
Register for free
and continue reading
Registering allows you to manage your newsletters and alerts and helps us improve your experience. It takes just a few seconds.
Already registered? Enter your email to sign in.
Please use the following structure: example@domain.com
Or Continue with
By registering you agree to the terms and conditions. Once registered, you’ll receive our Daily Edition email for free.
Register to continue
Or Continue with
Log in to continue
Sign in or Register
I forgot my password / Send me a sign in link
Or Continue with
check your email
Check your email
We sent an email to you at .
It has a link that will sign you in.