Israeli prosecutors have filed an indictment against a 23-year-old resident of Beitar Illit, accusing him of carrying out a deeply disturbing arson attack against the Or Habib shul in the Sanhedria neighborhood of Yerushalayim — a shul regularly attended by HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, former Rishon LeTzion and member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Shas.

According to the charges, the defendant — whose name remains under gag order — tried to ignite two separate fires on the night of June 8, in what was initially investigated by the Shin Bet as a possible terrorist or hate-related attack.

In the first incident, he targeted an apartment building next to the shul, spray-painting residents’ doors, then pouring flammable liquid on an entrance and an elevator and setting it alight. Thankfully, residents managed to extinguish the flames before significant damage or injuries occurred.

But later, at approximately 4 a.m., prosecutors say the suspect entered the Or Habib shul itself and doused the seat of Rav Yosef with flammable liquid, setting it aflame. The fire spread to nearby sifrei kodesh, burning them, and caused serious damage to the shul’s air conditioning and electrical systems.

Footage from security cameras showed the suspect wandering through the darkened beis knesses before the fire broke out, then fleeing the scene.

The incident drew strong condemnation across the political and religious spectrum. Many Chareidi leaders blamed the current environment of anti-bnei Torah incitement, especially in connection with the harsh decrees over yeshiva bochurim’s draft exemptions, and initially labeled the arson a hate crime.

However, the suspect’s identity — a young man from Beitar Illit, a Chareidi yishuv — has cast doubt on those early theories, and his motives remain unclear as of this writing.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)