Rabbi Shlomo Amar
Rabbi Shlomo Amarצילום: חזקי ברוך

Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, excoriated the incoming national unity government of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, accusing it of planning to “subdue” yeshiva students and weaken the haredi community in Israel.

During his weekly lecture Sunday, Rabbi Amar castigated the planned government and the rotational power-sharing agreement between Bennett and Lapid.

“The situation with the government is a flood of insanity, a deluge of madness that we have never seen before. Each of them says ‘I will be in charge, I will be in charge’.”

“And they want to subdue Torah students,” Rabbi Amar said, according to a report by Kikar HaShabbat.

Rabbi Amar said the haredi community should remain defiant and reject any conditions attached to state funding under the new government.

“And what if they won’t give us funding? We don’t need their funding; let them take it all. We’re not afraid.”

“Are they the ones keeping us alive? No, it is the Almighty who sustains us. We rely on Him.”

“What we see now, with the wicked succeeding and the Reform movement strengthening, is illusory. Total nonsense.”