Jerusalem, April 12, 2001…The Anti-Defamation League Israel Office deplored statements made by spiritual leader of the Shas party Rabbi Ovadia Yosef in which he claimed, in a sermon prior to Passover, that “Arabs” must be “annihilated; and that “it is forbidden to have pity on them.” Rabbi Yosef also said of Arabs at the sermon, among other things, “their seed should be lost.”

ADL Israel Director Wayne L. Firestone said in response to Rabbi Yosef’s comments:

Despite the fact that Rabbi Yosef clarified his comments and now claims to the media that he was speaking only of Arab ‘terrorists’, we deplore such statements which are inimical to Jewish teachings, and serve to perpetuate stereotypes and hateful images. Rabbi Yosef has, several times in the recent past, given anti-Semites and detractors of Israel fodder for their abhorrent and hostile views.

Once again, we call on Rabbi Yosef, as a religious authority with political influence, to refrain from such language and instead speak, as he has so eloquently in the past, of the pursuit of peace and respect for all people created in God’s image.”

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.