As the sun sets on Israel\u2019s Memorial Day, 12 torches, together symbolising the spirit of the nation, are lit to mark the beginning of Independence Day, the anniversary of the country\u2019s establishment in 1948 \u2013 which led to the ethnic cleansing of at least 750,000 Palestinians.<\/p>\n
To be selected to light one of the torches over the resting place of Theodor Herzl, the man widely credited with the creation of modern Zionism, is regarded as one of the greatest honours in Israel.<\/p>\n list of 4 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n This year, among those selected to light the torch on Tuesday evening is Avraham Zarbiv, a rabbi so controversial that even the Israeli military \u2013 an organisation that admits to having killed more than 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza \u2013 has publicly distanced itself from him. A military spokesperson said last week that Zarbiv \u201cwas not selected in coordination\u201d with the military, and was not representing it at the ceremony, despite his being an army reservist.<\/p>\n Zarbiv first came to national prominence in Israel in the early months of 2024, when the 52-year-old rabbi and state rabbinical judge was filmed throwing grenades at Palestinians in Khan Younis during a firefight.<\/p>\n Since then, he has recorded himself gleefully demolishing Palestinian homes \u2013 his name even becoming a verb meaning to flatten or obliterate \u2013 and has delivered sermons from the ruins of Rafah promising \u201cvictory and settlement\u201d. Zarbiv pairs it all with the traditional mannerisms of a religious leader, punctuating his threats and violence with footage of him blowing on a traditional ram\u2019s horn, or shofar, as well as reciting prayers and parts of the Torah.<\/p>\n Zarbiv has also shared footage of himself taking part in the demolition of homes in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces are accused of deploying the same scorched earth tactics as they did during Gaza\u2019s genocide.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Speaking to Israel\u2019s right-wing Channel 14 in January 2025, Zarbiv boasted of the destruction inflicted on Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are tens of thousands of dead. The dogs and the cats ate them because no one collected them,\u201d he said. \u201cTens of thousands of families \u2013 they have not a piece of paper, no childhood photo, no IDs, they have nothing. No home, there is nothing. They come, they have no idea where their house is. It\u2019s something unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n While the army leadership itself might be seeking to distance itself from Zarbiv, the rabbi himself says that he represents his fellow soldiers.<\/p>\n \u201cI am one soldier among many, I am a soldier of the Givati Brigade,\u201d he said in an interview last week.<\/p>\n Last week, the Israeli organisation Kerem Navot, which monitors illegal settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, filed a complaint to Israel\u2019s judicial watchdog after confirming that Zarbiv had built his home illegally on private Palestinian land in the Beit El settlement, accusing him of violating the ethics rules for both judges and rabbinic judges.<\/p>\n That had no bearing, however, on Transport Minister Miri Regev\u2019s decision to nominate Zarbiv for the torch-bearing ceremony.<\/p>\n \u201cRabbi Zarbiv, a father of six, continues to serve in reserve duty and combines in his life in an inspiring way between the book and the sword \u2013 between Torah and the army, between study and action, and between spiritual leadership and security responsibility,\u201d the right-wing minister said.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
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