Over 300 Rabbinical figures showed solidarity with Rabbi Yigal Levinstein in a letter of support, in the wake of a public outcry against the rabbi for comments he made concerning the LGBT community.
In the letter, the rabbis express support "for any Rabbi that expresses his halachic and ethical opinion out of faithfulness to the Torah and Sages of Israel, without apology or bias."
The rabbis explain that "the love for every member of Israel and the obligation to treat everyone with respect cannot be used to distort the truth of Jewish law or to 'round corners' regarding forbidden actions. It is incumbent on a rabbi to address halachic issues in a clear fashion, therefore we reject attempts to silence the rabbis of Israel."
They finish their declaration by saying that "the rabbis of Israel will continue to express their halachic opinions, out of responsibility for the public, without fear, on every topic required, for the sake of the silent majority, religious and secular alike."
On Monday, Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu also voiced support for Rabbi Levinstein, even while disagreeing with his description of homosexuals as "deviants".
Rabbi Levinstein, founder of the Bnei David preparatory academy in Eli, has come under fire for past comments regarding homosexuals and the Reform movement.