NRG correspondent Ze’ev Kam reported on Monday 4 Menachem Av that a letter was sent to Bayit Yehudi party leader Naftali Bennett from Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Shlita decrying Bennett’s actions during the episode involving Rabbi Yigal Levinstein. Instead of backing Levinstein as head of the nation’s dati leumi party, Bennett gave him mussar, disagreeing with his actions and statements.

Rabbi Yigal Levinstein of Yeshivat Bnei David in Yishuv Eli, used the forum given him at a major rabbinical assembly to attack IDF policies vis-à-vis toeiva, women combatants and other anti-religious policy in the IDF headed by the Education Corps.

It is reported that Bennett tried his best to hide the letter from Rabbi Eliyahu, to prevent the media from picking up on it. His efforts were assisted by Rabbi Chaim Druckman Shlita.

After the condemnation against Rabbi Levinstein from Bennett, the left-wing and others, over 300 prominent dati leumi rabbonim signed a petition backing Rabbi Levinstein.

Rabbi Eliyahu told Bennett that if he feels he must fight, then don’t fight against the cream of the crop in our camp but direct your energies to the left-wing and those like them who have overrun the IDF. “Fight those who try to weaken the police force and the IDF. Instead of fighting them, you fired into the armored personnel carrier at the commander, one who has certified the soldiers and who takes responsibility for them”.

Rabbi Eliyahu calls on Bennett to apologize to Rabbi Levinstein as the leader of the dati leumi party, adding he cannot continue in this position without doing so.

In his conclusion Rabbi Eliyahu says it is actually worse, stating “you did not fire into the armored personnel carrier, but threw a grenade at us all, for we are all Rabbi Levinstein and we are all fighting for the character of the nation, of the public areas, of the values of the IDF, and if you want to be the leader of Bayit Yehudi, you must apologize to him”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)