- IDF Chief Rabbi nominee Rabbi Eyal Karim has previously made alarming comments about wartime rape in a 2023 column on Israeli “Kipa” news site.
- Reports of IDF soldiers raping other soldiers within their own ranks have surfaced.
Rabbi Colonel Eyal Karim, nominee of Chief Rabbi of the Israeli Defence Forces has made some alarming and reprehensible comments about rape during wartime.
In 2023, Rabbi Karim was answering questions for an ‘Ask the Rabbi’ column on the Israeli “Kipa” news site. He was asked a question regarding how the Torah could justify the rape of non-Jewish women during wartime. Rabbi Karim explained that this was correct and further explained the Torah’s reasoning behind this ruling.
Upon joining the IDF, the IDF released a statement stating that “Rabbi Karim wishes to clarify that his words were only uttered in response to a theoretical hermeneutical question, certainly not to a practical halachic question”.
“Rabbi Karim was asked if IDF soldiers are allowed to commit rape during times of war. His answer should have been an unequivocal ‘no.’” said Rabbis Jonathan Wittenberg, Laura Janner-Klausner, Alexandra Wright and Richard Jacobi.
Amid the recent escalation of events in Gaza, reports have surfaced regarding IDF rape cases within their ranks. Kan 11, an Israeli news channel, highlighted a case where a female IDF soldier came forward, accusing a fellow member of her unit of rape.
