Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri visited the Or Haviv synagogue in Jerusalem on Sunday, following an overnight arson attack. He was accompanied by Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef. The visit was conducted on-site with senior officials from the police and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).
“There is no greater hate crime than this. To come and burn a synagogue - this is an unforgivable act,” Deri said during the visit. “We saw the burned holy books, and it’s a great miracle that the Holy Ark and Torah scrolls were spared. It breaks the heart.”
Deri said that police and Shin Bet commanders informed him they hope to solve the case within hours. He emphasized, “Beyond the investigation, there is a clear message: enough with the hatred, enough with the incitement. Look where this kind of discourse leads. It’s not just about debates in television studios—ultimately, there are extremists who act on these messages and commit terrible crimes.”
He underscored the seriousness of the incident: “We could have come here today to find no synagogue and no Torah scrolls, God forbid. It’s a great miracle the firefighters arrived quickly and managed to extinguish the fire.”
Deri called for an end to incitement: “Words can kill. Imagine if such an event had occurred in France or any other country—we would be outraged. We must not accept this kind of reality in the State of Israel.”
Security forces are continuing to investigate the incident.