Rabbi Col. Eyal Karim, the Israeli army’s choice for the next chief rabbi of the military, is finding himself in trouble over comments on women, gays and prisoners. He added that the Torah states that “war removes some of the prohibitions on sexual relations” and thus allows things such as raping non-Jewish women prisoners.
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“Col. Karim asks to clarify that his statement was issued as the answer to a theoretical question and not in any way whatsoever a question of practical Jewish law”, the statement read.
In the past, he has also been one of the leaders of a religious-Zionist struggle against the recruitment of women for combat roles in the army, the Haaretz reported.
“Rabbi Karim has never written, said or even thought that an Israeli soldier is permitted to sexually assault a woman in war, and anyone who interprets his words otherwise is completely mistaken”, the statement said.
But the response that caused the greatest disgust came when Karim was asked if soldiers were permitted to rape women during war. “And since our concern is the success of the collective in the war, the Torah permitted [soldiers] to satisfy the evil urge under the conditions it stipulated for the sake of the collective’s success”.
The rabbi on Tuesday pointed out that he was part of the committee that established the protocol that requires soldiers to be present at events where women sing. “I will contact the attorney general and oppose the appointment, and I call on female and male members of Knesset to join my request”.
When he is not advocating for the rape of women, Karim is outspoken about refusing to allow women in the IDF.
Except that he did – as evidenced by the above quote.
Zehava Galon, head the left-wing Meretz party, said he was “unfit to be the top rabbinical authority of the IDF”.
“Even if he was dealing with a theoretical debate about rape during battle or (if he) opposes female service or song in the military, no, he can not be the military rabbi”, opposition lawmaker Tzipi Livni told Channel 2 TV.
“Regarding the reports that he said that lovely gentile women can be raped during wartime, it appears this is not his opinion”, Lapid continued.
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“If he does not say it out loud, he can not be the chief military rabbi”.
