Rav Tzemach Mazuz, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Kisei Rachamim, sharply criticized Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over the decision to cancel this year’s central memorial gathering for Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l, accusing her of continually seeking new ways to harm bnei Torah.

Speaking during his weekly address at Yeshivat Kisei Rachamim on Motzoei Shabbos, Rav Mazuz invoked a posuk from Bereishis while condemning the attorney general.

“That poor attorney general — her mind all day is ‘only evil all day’ (Bereishis 6:5). Every day she thinks, ‘What can I do to the bnei Torah? How can I harm them?’ Every day she thinks of a new decree,” Rav Mazuz said.

Rav Mazuz then described seeing a newspaper headline on Friday reporting that Baharav-Miara had barred the annual memorial gathering honoring Rav Ovadia Yosef.

“I saw a headline in the newspaper on Friday: ‘The attorney general prohibits holding the hilula of Maran Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l.’ Yes, why? (She even has reasons…) ‘Because it could influence people to vote Shas. No! We want pure elections. Everyone should vote according to the dictates of his conscience.’ How ‘pure’ she is… Yes.”

Rav Mazuz continued his criticism, sarcastically referring to Baharav-Miara as “holy” and comparing her to the wicked biblical Queen Izevel.

“Almost every day, look at the front page of the newspaper — what this ‘holy’ attorney general, this wicked Izevel, thought of and came up with that night. Yes, she is unfortunate!” Rav Mazuz said.

The controversy erupted after reports Thursday that the attorney general had directed that this year’s memorial gathering for Rav Ovadia Yosef be canceled, despite legislation providing for the event.

According to the stated reasoning behind the decision, Rav Ovadia Yosef is closely identified with the Shas party, and holding the gathering could therefore amount to election propaganda even if no explicitly political statements were made during the event.

Critics have pointed to what they describe as a glaring double standard involving the annual state memorial for Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Rabin was directly identified with the Labor Party, they argue, yet the official state ceremony commemorating him continues to be held even when its date falls in close proximity to Election Day.

{Matzav.com}