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Jerusalem Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi HaGaon HaRav Aryeh Stern Shlita comes to the defense of his colleague, Jerusalem Chief Sephardi Rabbi HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Moshe Amar Shlita.

Rav Stern was responding to the recently-released recording of Shas Chairman Minister Aryeh Deri, in which he came down hard on Rav Amar and spoke of him in a most disrespectful fashion, expressing fears the rav is trying to take over the Shas party.

Rabbi Stern released a letter on Tuesday, 18 Cheshvan in which he tries to give a chizuk to his colleague. He decried that assault against Rav Amar by Aryeh Deri.

He writes, “I was shocked to hear of the grave violation of the Torah’s dignity and the rav’s dignity in particular, and I hereby protest against it with vigorous protest on the one hand, and on the other hand strengthen our hands in the holy work that we are doing together.

Rav Amar’s son also responded on Tuesday, adding, “As a son of the rabbi, I am hurt twice. How do you explain these words to yeshiva students?” He said that he received “a lot of phone calls from people whose hearts are bleeding, that they cannot hear the words, the pain is pain and the injury is particularly damaging to me, I am also 45 years old and I did not know my father because he was busy with the needs of the public. His entire being is kodesh kedoshim… The holiness and the rank of the rabbi are high above all this, but the question remains as how to explain these statements to students and rabbonim.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)