Avichai Rontzki
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Avichai Rontzki ( he, אביחי רונצקי, October 10, 1951 – April 1, 2018) was an Israeli Chief Military Rabbi of the
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
. He served in the position from 2006 to 2010, with a rank of Brigadier General. His predecessor in that position was Rabbi
Israel Weiss Israel Weiss ( he, ישראל וייס, born 1949) was the Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces serving in the position between 2000 and 2006, with a rank of Brigadier General. His predecessor in that position was Rabbi Gad Navon. B ...
. Rontzki was also the
rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...
of the
Hesder Hesder ( he, הסדר "arrangement"; also Yeshivat Hesder ) is an Israeli yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic studies with military service in the Israel Defense Forces, usually within a Religious Zionist framework. The program allo ...
Yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...
in
Itamar Itamar ( he, אִיתָמָר) is an Israeli settlement located in the West Bank's Samarian mountains, five kilometers southeast of the Palestinian city of Nablus. The settlement was built on land confiscated from the Palestinian villages of A ...
.


Biography

Rontzki was born to a secular Jewish family, and studied at the
Hebrew Reali School , motto_translation = ''Walk Humbly'' , address = Hertzel 16 , city = Haifa , zipcode = 3312103 , country = Israel , coordinates = , other_name ...
in
Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
. He became religious while serving in the army. In 1969, he began his military career in
Shayetet 13 Shayetet 13 ( he, שייטת 13, lit. ''Flotilla 13'') is a unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret ''(reconnaissance)'' units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, s ...
, but did not complete the training course and transferred to the 35th
Paratroopers Brigade The 35th Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת הַצַּנְחָנִים, ''Hativat HaTzanhanim''), also known as the Paratroopers Brigade, is an infantry brigade unit of paratroopers within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and forms a major part of ...
. He completed the
squad leader ''Squad Leader'' is a tactical level board war game originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. It was designed by John Hill and simulates on infantry combat in Europe during World War II. One of the most complex war games of its time, ''Squa ...
course and
Officer Candidate School An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. ...
, and returned to the Paratroopers Brigade to serve as a
platoon leader {{unreferenced, date=February 2013 A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth militaries and the United States Marine Corps, US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This pers ...
and as company
Executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, o ...
at the 890 "Efe" (Echis) paratroop battalion. Later on, he transferred to Sayeret Shaked, and served as a company commander in the
Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...
. During this time, he began a process of
repentance Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...
with his wife Ronit, who he had met in his unit. Rontzki studied at
Machon Meir Machon Meir ( he, מכון מאיר) is a religious Zionist outreach organization and yeshiva situated in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe, close to Givat Shaul. Machon Meir is one of the larger outreach organization in Israel, and is st ...
and
Mercaz HaRav Mercaz HaRav (officially, he, מרכז הרב - הישיבה המרכזית העולמית, "The Center of Rabbi ook- the Central Universal Yeshiva") is a national-religious yeshiva in Jerusalem, founded in 1924 by Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Abraham ...
, and also was involved with instructing street kids in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. In 1980, he established the ''Hesder Yeshiva'' in
Elon Moreh Elon Moreh ( he, אֵלוֹן מוֹרֶה) is an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish Israeli settlement in the West Bank. Located northeast of the State of Palestine, Palestinian city of Nablus, on the slopes of the Mount Kabir ridge, it falls u ...
. In 1984, he was part of the group that established the settlement
Itamar Itamar ( he, אִיתָמָר) is an Israeli settlement located in the West Bank's Samarian mountains, five kilometers southeast of the Palestinian city of Nablus. The settlement was built on land confiscated from the Palestinian villages of A ...
near
Nablus Nablus ( ; ar, نابلس, Nābulus ; he, שכם, Šəḵem, ISO 259-3: ; Samaritan Hebrew: , romanized: ; el, Νεάπολις, Νeápolis) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately north of Jerusalem, with a populati ...
, and he also founded the Hesder yeshiva there. Rontzki wrote a four-volume army
halakhic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
guide, ''K'Hitzim B'Yad Gibor''. In addition to his rosh yeshiva position, he continued to serve in the reserves, and rose in rank to the position of chief of staff of the
Samaria Samaria (; he, שֹׁמְרוֹן, translit=Šōmrōn, ar, السامرة, translit=as-Sāmirah) is the historic and biblical name used for the central region of Palestine, bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The first- ...
Territorial Brigade ( he, חטיבה מרחבית שומרון). After being offered the position of Chief Military Rabbi, many advised him to decline, due to the Military Rabbinate collaboration with
Israel's unilateral disengagement plan The Israeli disengagement from Gaza ( he, תוכנית ההתנתקות, ') was the unilateral dismantling in 2005 of the 21 Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of Israeli settlers and army from inside the Gaza Strip. Th ...
, of which the military played a primary part. After assuming command of the Chief Rabbinate in 2006, Rontzki initiated a mini-revolution in the command. In addition to the traditional rabbinate activities of kitchen
kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...
certification and religious services for religious soldiers, Rontzki expanded the mandate to include a more active role in the army, including increasing the number of battalion rabbis.
"During the war, it became clear that there is a significant gap between the number of positions available to rabbis in various units and their actual manning by military rabbis."
In December 2014, after it became clear that the Knesset's coalition would dissolve, and new elections would be called, Rontzi announced he expected to run in the primaries for
Bayit Yehudi The Jewish Home ( he, הַבַּיִת הַיְהוּדִי, HaBayit HaYehudi) is an Orthodox Jewish and religious Zionist political party in Israel. It was originally formed by a merger of the National Religious Party, Moledet, and Tkuma in N ...
's list. On 1 April 2018, he died, after a struggle with
colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel m ...
."Baruch, Hizki 'Rabbi Avihai Rontzki passed away.' (Apr 1, 2018) ARUTZ 7"https://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/369887 He left behind his wife, six children, and grandchildren.


Controversies

Rontzki expanded the "Jewish Awareness Department", which conducts educational activities in IDF combat units. He gave
Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
classes in jails, and conducted a tour of
Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after East J ...
for soldiers in Military Intelligence in which they met with Rabbi
Dov Lior Dov Lior ( he, דב ליאור, born 30 October 1933) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi who served as the Chief Rabbi of Hebron and Kiryat Arba in the southern West Bank until late 2014. He is the rosh yeshiva of the Kiryat Arba Hesder Yeshiva and hea ...
. An
Israeli settler Israeli settlements, or Israeli colonies, are civilian communities inhabited by Israeli citizens, overwhelmingly of Jewish ethnicity, built on lands occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. The international community considers Israeli se ...
accused of assaulting and wounding Palestinians spent his house arrest in Rontzki's home. In a letter he sent to officers in the Military Rabbinate in October 2008, he wrote that, "There is a crucial need to connect hesoldiers with their roots and Jewish values", and that IDF rabbis are supposed to be involved in inculcating Jewish values. He attempted to force the
Israel Army Radio Army Radio ( he, גלי צה"ל lit. IDF waves) or Galei Tzahal, known in Israel by its acronym Galatz ( he, גל"צ), is a nationwide Israeli radio network operated by the Israel Defense Forces. The station broadcasts news, music, traffic report ...
to stop broadcasting on
Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
to come in line with the standard army order permitting only operational duty on the holy day. During
Operation Cast Lead Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
, the army rabbinate under Rontzki's lead had a more significant presence on the field than traditional to the rabbinate. The rabbinate provided a text titled "Daily Torah studies for the soldier and the commander in Operation Cast Lead" to soldiers and officers, which was criticized as being overtly nationalist and political, to the point of racism, and encouraging violations of international law regarding the treatment of enemy civilians. Rontzki stated that religious troops make better soldiers, and that those who show mercy towards the enemy in wartime will be damned for it. Rontzki objects to women serving in combat units, and believes that it is impractical and harmful to the "combat array". He expressed doubt that women would want to serve the full service as men serve. In addition, he revealed that a female Religion Officer would join the Military Rabbinate for the first time to serve the needs of religious women soldiers. His attitude towards women soldiers has been criticised by several
Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
members, who demanded that Rontzki be dismissed from his post as IDF's chief rabbi. The Israeli human rights organization
Yesh Din Yesh Din: Volunteers for Human Rights ( he, יש דין) is an Israeli organization working in Israel and in the West Bank. The organization was founded in 2005 by a group of women who previously worked with the organization Machsom Watch. The p ...
called on Defense Minister
Ehud Barak Ehud Barak ( he-a, אֵהוּד בָּרָק, Ehud_barak.ogg, link=yes, born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli general and politician who served as the tenth prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until Jan ...
to immediately remove Rontzki from his post as chief military rabbi, due to his conduct during Operation Cast Lead. MK
Ophir Pines-Paz Ophir Pines-Paz ( he, אופיר פינס-פז, born 11 July 1961) is an Israeli former politician who served as Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of Science, Culture & Sport, and as a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party from 1996 u ...
asked Barak to order an immediate investigation into the activities of the military rabbinate. Pines-Paz wrote that "The article gives cause for concern", and that "The ilitaryrabbinate is overstepping its authority, which is solely to provide religious services, and is acting in an aggressive manner in order to cause
Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
soldiers to become religiously observant. This activity undermines religious-secular relations in the IDF and leads the army into dealing with areas beyond its scope. It uses the IDF to advance religious and political ideas. The ilitaryrabbinate is bringing religion in through the back door, in a dangerous manner, and harming the IDF's ability to fulfill its mission". In December 2009, it was reported that
Defense Minister of Israel The Ministry of Defense ( he, מִשְׂרַד הַבִּטָּחוֹן, Misrad HaBitahon, Ministry of Security, acronym: he, משהב"ט) of the government of Israel, is the governmental department responsible for defending the State of Isra ...
Ehud Barak Ehud Barak ( he-a, אֵהוּד בָּרָק, Ehud_barak.ogg, link=yes, born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli general and politician who served as the tenth prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until Jan ...
and Chief of General Staff
Gabi Ashkenazi Gabriel "Gabi" Ashkenazi (; born 25 February 1954) is an Israeli politician and former military leader. He previously served as the Foreign Minister of Israel, Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was the Chief of General Staff (Israel), Chief of Ge ...
will not extend Rontzki's service past the summer of 2010. In January 2010,
Rafi Peretz Rafael "Rafi" Peretz (; born 7 January 1956) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician. A former military officer and helicopter pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its d ...
was appointed to succeed Rontzki as chief military rabbi in summer 2010. Referring to the
Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange The Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange (; ), also known as "Wafa al-Ahrar" (''"Faithful to the free"''), followed a 2011 agreement between Israel and Hamas to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for 1,027 prisoners — almost all Palest ...
, Rontzki said in an interview to
Arutz Sheva ''Arutz Sheva'' ( he, ערוץ 7, lit=''Channel 7''), also known in English as ''Israel National News'', is an Israeli media network identifying with religious Zionism. It offers online news articles in Hebrew, English, and Russian as well as l ...
in October 2011 that Israeli soldiers should no longer arrest convicted terrorists, but instead "kill them in their beds".


References

* Segal, Arnon, "Sitter of Tents", Olam Katan, Issue 198, April 8, 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rontzki, Avichai 1951 births 2018 deaths People from Haifa Israel Defense Forces rabbis Israeli generals Israeli Orthodox Jews Israeli Orthodox rabbis Religious Zionist rosh yeshivas Mercaz HaRav alumni Baalei teshuva Israeli military chaplains Deaths from cancer in Israel Deaths from colorectal cancer