"The Rabbi said Deri screamed at him": Tension in the Shas leadership reaches a breaking point

The relationship between the Rishon LeZion, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, and Shas chairman Aryeh Deri is reaching a boiling point against the backdrop of a sharp confrontation that has emerged between the two. According to the testimony of one of the Rabbi's close students, the tension escalated following public remarks made by Rabbi Yosef in favor of Knesset member Gadi Eizenkot, a move that drew a harsh response from the party leadership.

The student said that immediately after the Rabbi's statement, he received a sharp reprimand from Deri.

"The Rabbi said that Deri screamed at him," the student testified, adding that the Rabbi was deeply hurt by the incident and asked painfully: "Did you see that? A political operative screaming at a Rabbi. Where is the honor of the Torah?"

The testimony reveals the intensity of the personal and leadership crisis between the spiritual leader and the political leader.

The difficult incident comes against the backdrop of a deep and ongoing dispute between the two on core political and sectoral issues. At the center of the tension are sharp disagreements regarding the promotion of the conscription laws, the nature of the Shas movement's conduct, and the political direction the party should take, with the Rabbi expressing independent positions that do not always align with the party line.

The charged confrontation between Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and Aryeh Deri reflects a deep rift in the leadership of the Haredi-Sephardic public. The tension between the spiritual authority and the political arm calls into question the coordination within the Shas movement, especially at a time when fateful issues such as the conscription law and the future of the coalition are on the agenda.