The term “civil uprising,” or “insurrection,” has been used to describe a ruling by Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, one of the top spiritual leaders of the ultra-Orthodox world. Despite an unequivocal directive from the Ministry of Health to close all educational institutions, Kanievsky ordered his followers on March 14 to continue studying in their yeshivas as usual. An ultra-Orthodox public figure who focuses on the relationship between the ultra-Orthodox and the state told Al-Monitor, “I was horrified when I heard this ruling. No one in our community would ever speak out against the rabbi, because what he says is final, but it goes against the religious injunction of ‘Follow the laws of state.’ In other words, it is a call for a civil uprising.”
The man, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, further explained, “Instructions by the rabbis, whom we follow, touch on all aspects of day-to-day life. They rule on what is kosher, on prayer, on marital status, etc. Every so often, there are gray areas in which there might be conflicts with the law or instructions from the authorities, such as whether or not to serve in the military. These are then subjected to a lengthy debate and handled in dealings with the government. In this particular case, the problem is much more serious, because the Ministry of Health’s directives are unequivocal and affect the entire population. It was as if the rabbi said, ‘No one under my authority will follow these instructions. When it comes to following the laws of the state, we have extra-territorial status.’”
