Israel Weiss

Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss — also rendered in various sources as "Yisroel Weiss," "Yisroel David Weiss," and "Dovid Weiss" — is identified by the Anti-Defamation League as a leader of Neturei Karta and the organization's North American spokesperson.[1] Neturei Karta is an international ultra-Orthodox anti-Zionist group founded in 1938 that opposes the contemporary State of Israel on religious grounds, holding that Jewish self-determination before the arrival of the Messiah is forbidden.[1] The group claims to "pray for the peaceful dismantlement of the state of Israel," and the mainstream ultra-Orthodox and broader Jewish communities disavow its ideology as unrepresentative.[1]

Weiss regularly appeared in interviews on Al-Jazeera and Press TV, seeking to demonstrate to international Muslim and Arab audiences that Jews do not support Israel.[1] In a March 2012 Al-Jazeera interview he stated: "Zionism has created rivers of blood...this is against the will of the Almighty and this is not what it means to be a Jew."[1] At a September 2020 Washington, D.C., rally opposing Israel's normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, Weiss accused Zionists of hijacking Judaism, declaring: "Zionists came along a mere 100-odd years ago with a plan to transform the Jewish religion into nationalism, to hijack the religion and create a so-called Jewish state."[2]

On December 11–12, 2006, Rabbi Yisroel David Weiss attended the Iranian regime's "International Conference on Review of the Holocaust: Global Vision" in Tehran as part of a six-person delegation of ultra-Orthodox Jews from Britain, the United States, and Austria.[3] The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center reported that the delegation was singled out for special attention by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[3]

Weiss had visited Iran earlier that year. An Iranian television broadcast on March 7, 2006 documented him stating that Neturei Karta opposed Zionism more strongly than the Palestinians and that "It is forbidden by the Torah to have a state."[4] He also defended Ahmadinejad against accusations of antisemitism and argued that Iran sought the dismantlement of the Zionist regime and the return of rule to the Palestinian people.[4] In separate MEMRI-published excerpts from interviews in Iran on March 5, 2006, Weiss argued that Zionism was a political movement rather than an expression of Judaism and stated that Neturei Karta wanted the land to return to the Palestinians so that Jews and Palestinians could live side by side.[5]

The World Jewish Congress reported that Weiss was among four Neturei Karta members who traveled through Egypt in a convoy of activists to visit Hamas leaders in Gaza, where they met Hamas leader Ismail Haniya.[6] Weiss was quoted as telling the Hamas leadership: "We feel your suffering, we cry your cry," and describing the land as Palestinian territory that was "occupied, illegitimately and unjustly by people who stole it, kidnapped the name of Judaism and our identity."[6]

Brigadier General Rabbi Israel Weiss began serving as the IDF Chaplain General — the head of the Military Rabbinate — in 2000.[7] The Chaplain General is appointed by the IDF Chief of Staff and serves as the highest religious authority in the IDF, advising the Chief of Staff on religious matters.[7] The IDF Chaplaincy was founded alongside the IDF in 1948 with the stated purpose of reconciling halachic requirements with military conditions and providing for the religious needs of IDF personnel.[7] Although the Chaplaincy is not subordinate to Israel's civilian Chief Rabbinate, its Chaplain General's halachic decisions are recognized as binding by the Chief Rabbinate.[7]

The Chaplaincy maintains a representative in every IDF unit, and its personnel include ordained military chaplains, Religious Affairs Officers, and Religious Affairs noncommissioned officers.[7] Higher-ranking chaplains serve the staffs of IDF commands and services.[7] Chaplaincy soldiers undergo basic training like other IDF personnel; some are assigned to the Chaplaincy after serving in field units, and many chaplains have served as combat officers or in combat positions.[7] The corps also conducts professional courses addressing religious-academic questions and situations likely to arise in military practice.[7]

A distinct Israel Weiss — son of Esther and Yehuda — was born in Jerusalem on January 22, 1954.[8] He attended the Uziel elementary school and the religious Himel Farb high school in Jerusalem, growing up in a traditional home that emphasized love of the Jewish people and the Land of Israel, respect for others, and observance of religious commandments.[8] His high-school educator described him as the heart of his class, and neighborhood children frequently sought him out to share their troubles because he listened sympathetically and offered practical advice.[8] The memorial biography also recalls that as a child he helped his mother with housework without being asked and prepared coffee and cake for her.[8]

Weiss enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces in early August 1972 and was assigned to the Armored Corps.[8] After completing basic training and several foundational armored-training courses, he volunteered for the corps's reconnaissance company, where he distinguished himself — including by leading his group during its first navigation exercise.[8] Within his unit he held a responsible position and became the representative of the religious soldiers in his company, advocating for them and maintaining his own religious practices even under difficult military conditions.[8]

During the Yom Kippur War, Weiss participated in the defensive battles fought by Israeli forces against the invading Syrian army on the Golan Heights.[8] On October 9, 1973, his reconnaissance company encountered an ambush by Syrian commandos near Buq'ata; Weiss was killed during the assault to destroy the ambush.[8] He was buried in the Mount Herzl military cemetery, was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant, and was survived by his parents and three brothers.[8]

The sources use several forms of the Neturei Karta leader's name. The Meir Amit report identifies "Rabbi Yisroel David Weiss" and lists "Yisroel Weiss — USA" in its participant appendix,[3] while the ADL uses "Yisroel Dovid Weiss."[1] A separate MEMRI page uses "Dovid Weiss," but not every source explicitly establishes the equivalence of all these forms.[5] His attendance at the 2006 Tehran conference and his visit to Hamas leaders in Gaza are separately documented.[3][6]

The Jewish Virtual Library's Chaplaincy Corps page calls Israel Weiss the current Chaplain General and says that he had held the position since 2000, while its General Staff page, dated 2022, identifies Eyal Karim as Chief Military Rabbi.[7][9] Read together, the pages appear to reflect inconsistent updating rather than two simultaneous officeholders.