"Din Rodef" for supporters of a government with Arabs: the halachic ruling that led to a complaint against the Haifa rabbi
The Center for Victims of Racism filed a complaint against Rabbi Gedaliah Axelrod of Haifa following a halachic ruling he published, in which he determined that party leaders who support including Arab parties in the government are subject to the "din rodef" (law of the pursuer). The complaint alleges incitement to violence, solicitation to murder, and incitement to racism.
The Center for Victims of Racism, established by the Reform Center for Religion and State, filed an urgent complaint with the police, the Attorney General, and the State Prosecutor's Office against Rabbi Gedaliah Axelrod, the rabbi of the Chabad community in Haifa and former head of the city's rabbinical court. The complaint was filed following a halachic ruling the rabbi published this week, in which he determined that party leaders who support forming a government with the participation of Arab parties are subject to the "din rodef." The complaint alleges that his words constitute incitement to violence, solicitation to murder, and incitement to racism. According to the complaint, the rabbi described the party leaders supporting the move as those who "put the people of Israel in terrible danger." The center argues that the use of the halachic concept "din rodef" could encourage violence against elected officials, and that presenting Arab participation in government as a "terrible danger" denies the legitimacy of their election. The halachic ruling was distributed on social media and garnered thousands of supportive comments and shares. The center demands a criminal investigation and the removal of the ruling from the networks.