Chief Sephardi Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef warned Saturday that the ultra-Orthodox will move en masse overseas if the government ends the exemption of mandatory military enlistment for the community.
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"If you force us to go to the army, we'll all move abroad," Yosef said in a weekly lecture in Jerusalem.
Video: Yosef giving a lecture to his students
He suggested that the IDF's success is closely tied to the learning of holy texts in religious schools, saying that "the soldiers only succeed thanks to those learning Torah."
Yosef, whose father was the late former Sephardi Chief Rabbi and Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef, holds significant sway within the political faction, which is part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Coalition.
The statement garnered criticism from lawmakers, with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid saying that Yosef's statement was "an insult and disgrace to the IDF soldiers who risk their lives to defend the country. Rabbi Yosef is a state employee with a salary from the state, he cannot threaten the state."
Similarly, Minister Benny Gantz called Yosef's remarks "a moral affront to the state and Israeli society."
"After 2,000 years of exile, we returned to our land. We will fight for it and never abandon it. Everyone should take part in the sacred right to serve and fight for our state, especially in this difficult time. Even our haredi brothers," he wrote on Twitter.
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