The Rabbi of Ber Sheva, Rabbi Yehuda Deri has slammed abortions in Israel. “The Torah clearly says that abortion is murder,” he said. Deri is Head of the Chief Rabbinate's Committee to Prevent Abortions.

Several weeks ago the Chief Rabbinate distributed a letter to local rabbis asking them to concentrate their Sabbath sermons on Parshat Shemot to the subject of abortions. Every year some 50,000 births are aborted in Israel.