MQG urges authorities to initiate criminal inquiry against Shas spiritual guide over remarks targeting attorney general

Footage circulating online captured Yosef branding Miara as unstable and warning that divine forces would punish her severely.

Shas spiritual leader and former Sephardic chief rabbi, Yitzhak Yosef, seen during a weekly lecture at the Yazdim synagogue in Jerusalem, June 07, 2025; illustrative.

(photo credit: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

AUGUST 30, 2026 14:19

Updated: AUGUST 30, 2026 14:43

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel called on officials to open a formal probe into Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef following his sharp verbal criticism of Attorney-General Gali Baharav Miara over the weekend.

Clips posted across social platforms showed Yosef describing Miara as unstable and declaring that the Almighty would bring her down, strike her down, and ensure the matter would not go unanswered.

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel noted that Yosef spoke amid an atmosphere that has grown common, marked by heated rhetoric, deeds, and provocative declarations from prominent ultra-Orthodox voices.

Because of this setting, the group argued, his statements could encourage others toward real harm directed at the attorney-general.

Shas rabbi has history of leveraging sway against legal institutions, MQG counsel notes

Attorney Yael Bloch, who leads the litigation division at the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, explained that while questioning the attorney-general decisions remains acceptable, such comments must not escalate into calls for violence.

This marks another instance where Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef has drawn on his stature to challenge legal norms and oversight bodies, she remarked. Determining whether an offense occurred falls to enforcement bodies, which now need to examine the issue thoroughly and promptly.

Yosef spoke out after the attorney-general directed that state memorial events marking the passing of Shas co-founder Rabbi Ovadia Yosef be delayed.