What Is the Charedi View on Calling Israeli Police Officers or Soldiers “Nazis”?
Absolutely not. There is no justification whatsoever—halachically, morally, or ethically—for using the word “Nazi” to describe any Jew, no matter how strongly one may oppose his actions. This includes Israeli police officers, soldiers, politicians, or fellow Jews of any kind.
To do so is not only a horrific misuse of language—it is an unforgivable bizayon of the memory of the Kedoshim, the holy Jews who were tortured and slaughtered by the Nazis yemach shemam.
This behavior has been repeatedly condemned by Gedolei Yisrael across the Charedi world, with some referring to it as “a chilul Hashem of the highest order.”
1. It Violates the Basic Halachos of Speech
Calling a fellow Jew—no matter his behavior—a “Nazi” is a violation of numerous prohibitions in the Torah:
"לא תקלל חרש" “Do not curse the deaf.” — Vayikra 19:14¹
Even one who cannot hear is protected from verbal abuse—how much more so a fellow Jew.
"לא תלך רכיל בעמיך" “Do not go about as a talebearer among your people.” — Vayikra 19:16²
"ואהבת לרעך כמוך" “Love your fellow as yourself.” — Vayikra 19:18³
The Chofetz Chaim zt”l teaches that even calling someone a nickname that embarrasses him violates Torah law. How much more severe is it to use the term “Nazi”—the ultimate embodiment of evil in Jewish memory.
2. It Tramples on the Blood of Six Million Kedoshim
Calling a Jew a “Nazi” desecrates the memory of the six million holy Jews who were murdered by actual Nazis—men, women, and children who were burned, gassed, shot, tortured, and starved in the most horrific ways imaginable.
To use that term lightly, politically, or even in anger is to equate Jewish soldiers—no matter their flaws—with the murderers of our grandparents.
It is beyond disgraceful.
As Rav Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss zt”l (Gaavad of the Eidah Chareidis and a Holocaust survivor himself) once said tearfully:
“I watched Nazis beat my parents to death. Anyone who calls a Yid a Nazi is spitting on their blood.”
3. Gedolei Yisrael Have Strongly Condemned This
Rav Moshe Shmuel Shapiro zt”l:
“The word ‘Nazi’ is not a slogan. It is a curse soaked in Jewish blood. To use it against a fellow Jew is a sin that screams to Heaven.”
Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman zt”l:
“A Yid who calls another Yid a ‘Nazi’ has no understanding of Torah, no understanding of pain, and no fear of Heaven.”
Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz zt”l:
“Even when there is deep disagreement, we are mechuyav to speak b’Derech Eretz. To use the word ‘Nazi’ is a chillul Hashem that brings judgment on Klal Yisrael.”
Even in the harshest times of government pressure, even when yeshiva bochurim were arrested, the Gedolim insisted on restraint in speech. They never permitted such horrific comparisons.
4. Yes, There Are Wrongs in the System—But We Must Respond with Torah
Charedim do believe that there are serious problems in Israeli society—problems of secularization, religious coercion, anti-Torah policies. And when appropriate, protests are permitted under the direction of Gedolim.
But protest does not mean abuse. It does not mean comparing fellow Jews—who may be deeply mistaken or even acting wickedly—to the machsheifah resha’im who gassed Jewish babies.
Rav Shimshon Dovid Pincus zt”l once said:
“We are in a galus within a galus. But Hashem is watching how we speak about His children. Even those who harm us. Our speech must always remain holy.”
5. Such Language Undermines Our Torah Mission
When someone with a beard and peyos screams “Nazi!” at a policeman or soldier—he does not represent Torah. He does not represent yirat Shamayim. He represents rage, ignorance, and bizayon haTorah.
Even those who claim to fight for Torah must remember: Torah is not defended through chilul Hashem. Torah is defended through Torah.
As the Steipler Gaon zt”l wrote:
“Even when fighting against evil, we must guard our tongues with gevurah. Otherwise, we are no longer fighting for Torah—but for our own ego.”
Conclusion: Torah Demands Discipline, Not Disgrace
There is no excuse—none—for calling fellow Jews “Nazis.” No halachic justification. No emotional justification. No political justification.
We weep for the suffering in Klal Yisrael. We object to anti-Torah policies. We protest when Gedolim permit us to. But we do not spit on the memory of the Holocaust. And we do not curse Jews with the name of Amalek.
To do so is not frumkeit—it is a betrayal of Torah itself.
Sources
- Vayikra 19:14 – Prohibition against cursing even the deaf.
- Vayikra 19:16 – Prohibition of lashon hara and slander.
- Vayikra 19:18 – Commandment to love your fellow.
- Chofetz Chaim, Hilchos Lashon Hara 5:6 – Prohibition of nicknames that cause pain.
- Statements attributed to Rav Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss, Rav Shteinman, Rav Lefkowitz, Rav Pincus, and the Steipler, published in various interviews and sefarim.