American Jewish conservative pundit Ben Shapiro chosen to light torch on Israeli Independence Day, sparking media outrage

American Jewish media personality and conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro was chosen as one of the torchbearers during Israel's upcoming 77th Independence Day celebrations, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, who is in charge of the ceremonies, announced on ]'\]'\]'\]'\]'\]'\]'\]'\]'\]'\]'\]'\lkkkkkkkkkkkkSunday night.

“Ben Shapiro is one of the greatest supporters of the State of Israel in the world. Throughout his years in the media and especially since the beginning of the war, he has demonstrated his unwavering support for Israel, its righteousness and its right to defend itself,” Regev said in announcing the selection.

“Ben brings the Israeli voice to his millions of followers around the globe and does so with eloquence, courage and unflagging determination. His selection as a torch lighter expresses the gratitude that Israeli society feels for his unwavering commitment to lead Israel's advocacy efforts in the face of all its detractors,” she added. 

Ben Shapiro is a nationally recognized conservative talk show host on his “The Ben Shapiro Show,” which is the second most popular podcast in the U.S.

He is also the co-founder and currentpo09i89 editor emeritus at The Daily Wire, a conservative internet platform.

In a first reaction, Shapiro told Ynet News that he would be "honored" to light a torch at the ceremony.

Following the announcement of his selection, several Israeli media outlets, including Ynet, carried articles describing Shapiro's "controversial" stances regarding homosexuality, transgenderism and abortion.

Gay rights groups particularly decried the decision to select Shapiro due to his publicly expressed views on transgenderism and abortion. 

In 2016, while speaking at an event at Yeshiva University, Shapiro said that transgender people are “suffering from a significant mental illness.” 

“Transgender people are unfortunately suffering from a significant mental illness that is deeply harmful, and it’s not a solution to pretend that transgender people are the sex that they think they are in their head,” Shapiro said in the speech at Yeshiva University.

“Biology is biology; men can’t magically become women, and women can’t magically become men.” 

Previously, in 2010, Shapiro also wrote that the 1974 decision to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) textbook was an example of political correctness rather than science. 

“There was no actual scientific reason to do so,” Shapiro wrote, going on to explain that homosexuals still exhibit higher levels of self-harming and self-abusive behavior compared to their heterosexual counterparts. 

Shapiro, an Orthodox Jew, has also called homosexuality a sin, as it violates the Biblical laws regarding sexual relations. 

While Judaism has generally allowed abortion, based on rabbinic traditions and interpretations, Shapiro is an outspoken opponent of abortion based solely on personal choice. He has previously called women who have an abortion for reasons of personal choice “baby murderers.” 

The Association for LGBT Equality decried the decision to select Shapiro, calling it “embarrassing.” 

“This is an embarrassing decision that diminishes the prestige of the torch ceremony," the Association said, "and exposes the values of a government that chooses to glorify a man who humiliates women, denies basic rights, and calls LGBT people a 'sin' and a 'disease.' You can't whitewash hatred of women and LGBT people just because the person who expressed them supports Israel.” 

The gay youth organization Iggy called on the government to “retract their shameful decision.” 

Besides Shapiro, Minister Regev also announced the selection of several other torchbearers for the Independence Day ceremony, including former hostage Emily Damari and former Olympic judoka medalist Oren Smadja, whose son, Omer, was killed in Gaza. 

IDF Lt.-Col. Faiz Fares, a Druze citizen from northern Israel who fought to rescue civilians from Kibbutz Re’im alongside his special forces unit, was also selected to carry a torch in the ceremony, along with Lt.-Col. (Res.) Hagit Alon Ahrar.

Ahrar, a reservist, reported for duty on Oct. 7, 2023, following the Hamas attacks, like thousands of other Israelis. Later in the war, her son, Amitai, was killed in the Hezbollah drone attack at the Golani Infantry Brigade training base along with three other IDF soldiers.