Israeli Military Rabbi Makes Homophobic Statements During Conference

Israeli Rabbi Yigal Levinstein used some attention-getting hate speech at a conference last week, during which he described LGBTQ members of the military as "perverts" and "sexual predators" who should be barred from serving.

At the conference, Levinstein was recorded condemning the Israeli Defense Force for having an open policy admitting gay and trans people into their corps. The IDF is one of the first military forces in the world to have adopted this policy, and many, including the U.S., have since followed suit.

Levinstein is quoted as claiming that gays have overtaken the mainstream focus, stating:

There's a crazy movement here of people who have just lost the normalcy of life, and this group is driving an entire country crazy. It's going into the army at full strength, and nobody dares open their mouth to speak up.

According to NewNowNext, Levinstein serves on committees that shape IDF policy on education, ethics, and other issues. He trains most religious senior IDF officers at a pre-army preparatory yeshiva near Ramallah.