Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef on Sunday slowly approached his desk and turned over the remains of his burned books following an arson attack at his synagogue, Or Habib, in Jerusalem’s Sanhedria neighborhood.

The room still smelled of smoke as the former chief rabbi stared at the charred chair, burned-out bookcase, and shattered window.

He was accompanied by Shas chairman Arye Deri, who decried the attack as “a hate crime of the highest level” and called for an end to incitement against haredim (ultra-Orthodox).

“Enough with the hate. Enough with the incitement. Look what incitement and hatred can do,” Deri said.

“Were it not for the miracle of the Fire and Rescue Authority coming, we could have arrived here today without a synagogue, without sifrei Torah (Torah scrolls) – everything burned. Who knows where this will lead?... Words can kill.”

The scene of suspected arson and vandalism at a Jerusalem synagogue which is often frequented by Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, June 8, 2025. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
The scene of suspected arson and vandalism at a Jerusalem synagogue which is often frequented by Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, June 8, 2025. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
However, local students who came to see the former chief rabbi’s burned chair came to that conclusion.“Obviously, it has to do with the draft. It’s very upsetting,” shared one student. “It was probably an extreme right-winger who wants to draft the haredim,” said another.

The attack was 'antisemitic in the clearest way possible'

Baruch Deri, one of Yosef’s sons-in-law, addressed the crowd earlier, describing the motive as “antisemitic in the clearest way possible” and calling the attack “appalling to all Jews in Israel and the Diaspora.”

 He said he had been receiving calls all day from world leaders and rabbis from all around the globe. “It’s something that impacts every Jew, no matter where he’s found.

“When we hear about antisemitic attacks on synagogues in France or elsewhere, we’re all shocked. This isn’t France; this is the Holy Land, in the place where the gadol hador [leading rabbi of the generation], the head of worldwide Sephardi Jewry, sits. It’s appalling, and we all need to reflect on this and do a heshbon nefesh [spiritual accounting].”

A local rabbi said, “We hope one of ours [a Jew] did not do this but that it came from the enemies who surround us. We are not angry; we are not filled with hate. We have mercy on someone who would commit such an act.

“This will not divide us; no one will ever divide us. We are one nation. We have faced many challenges and will face more, but we will get through this by loving each other.”