Avichai Rontzki Avichai Rontzki ( ) , born October 10 , 1951 , is the former Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defence Forces . He served in the position from 2006 to 2010 , with a rank of Brigadier General . His predecessor in that position was Rabbi Israel Weiss . Rontzki is also the rosh yeshiva of the Hesder Yeshiva in the West Bank settlement Itamar . His four years in office have led to several controversies . Biography . Rontzki was born to a non - religious Jewish family and studied at the Hebrew Reali School in Haifa . He became religious while serving in the army . In 1969 , he began is military career in Shayetet 13 but did not complete the training instead moving to Sayeret Shaked in which he fought as a company commander in the Yom Kippur War . During this time , he began a process of repentance with his wife Ronit who he had met in his unit . Rontzki studied at Machon Meir and Mercaz HaRav and also was involved with instructing street kids in Jerusalem . In 1980 , he established the " Hesder Yeshiva " in Elon Moreh . In 1984 , he was part of the group that established the settlement Itamar near Nablus and also initiated the local yeshiva that he still leads today . Rontzki wrote the well known four volume army halakhic guide " Hitzim K ' 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 Territorial Brigade ( ) . 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 of which the military played a primary part . After assuming command of the Chief Rabbinate in 2006 , Rontzki executed a mini - revolution in the command . In addition to the traditional rabbinate activities of kitchen kosher certification and religious services for religious soldiers , Rontzki expanded the mandate to include a much 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 . " Controversies . Rontzki expanded the " Jewish Awareness Department " , which conducts educational activities in IDF combat units . He gave Torah classes in jails and conducted a tour of Hebron for soldiers in Military Intelligence in which they met with Rabbi Dov Lior . An Israeli settler 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 [ the ] soldiers 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 to stop broadcasting on Shabbat to come in line with the standard army order permitting only operational duty on the holy day . During Operation Cast Lead , 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 . Rontzki has 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 hurts the ' combat array ' . He also doubted that few 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 members , who demanded that Rontzki be dismissed from his post as IDF ' s chief rabbi . The Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din called on Defense Minister Ehud Barak to immediately remove Rontzki from his post as chief rabbi , due to his conduct during Operation Cast Lead . MK Ophir Pines - Paz 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 [ military ] rabbinate 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 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 [ military ] rabbinate 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 Ehud Barak and Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi will not extend Rontzki ' s service past the summer of 2010 . In January 2010 , Rafi Peretz was appointed to succeed Rontzki as chief military rabbi in summer 2010 . Referring to the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange , Rontzki said in an interview to Arutz Sheva in October 2011 that Israeli soldiers should no longer arrest terror suspects , but instead “ kill them in their beds ” .