ADL slams Shas spiritual leader for saying non-Jews 'were born to serve Jews'

[Donald Ian Rankin]

http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/adl-slams-shas-spiritual-leader-for-saying-non-jews-were-born-to-serve-jews-1.320235


The Anti-Defamation League on Tuesday condemned comments about non-Jews made this past weekend by Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

In a sermon given on Saturday on laws concerning what non-Jews are permitted to do on Shabbat, Yosef said: "Goyim were born only to serve us. Without that, they have no place in the world – only to serve the People of Israel."

"Why are gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi and eat."

According to Yosef, death has "no dominion" over non-Jews in Israel.

"With gentiles, it will be like any person - they need to die, but will give them longevity. Why? Imagine that one’s donkey would die, they’d lose their money. This is his servant... That’s why he gets a long life, to work well for this Jew.”

(More at link)

[Donald Ian Rankin]

1. Remember: Netanyahu is in government with Shas.

This is not some fringe extremist who can be discounted, this is the spiritual head of one of the parties that make up the Israeli government.

[LeftishBrit]

4. A very serious problem - a warning against extreme forms of PR

It's also a problem in Europe; e.g. the Swedish Democrats, and Wilders' revolting party.

Perhaps Yosef should be required to swear that loyalty oath to a 'Jewish and democratic state' as he certainly seems to be forgetting the 'democratic' part of that.

[shaayecanaan]

11. Extreme forms of PR?

I read somewhere that if Holland had the same amount of representatives, but in electoral districts instead of having full PR, Wilders' party would have done just as well because most people who voted for him would have fallen in marginal electorates. Far right parties tend to draw most of their support from outer suburban regions, which tend to be marginal.

If anything, a move from PR to an FPP system would disadvantage the left and green parties whose supporters tend to be highly concentrated in cities. The Green party in Australia has 16% of the members in the proportionally representative senate, but only one member in the lower house, even though the voting system is MPP rather than FPP.

FWIW, the far right has never done particularly well in Norway, even though it has about as many Muslims as Sweden does, and is proportionally representative.

[LeftishBrit]

20. I don't like FPTP either..

I would prefer AV (as they have in Australia, and as is being proposed in the UK), or Single Transferable Vote.

But 'pure' PR as in Israel, or 'pure' FPTP with a multi-party system as in the UK, both tend to distort democracy IMO.

I was probably jumping a bit too much between separate issues: I referred to the effects of extreme PR in Israel, and then to the problem of right-wing extremists in parliament in some Europaean countries as another issue, without clarifying that I'd moved on. I admit that I don't know a lot about the details of the voting system in either the Netherlands or Sweden.

Norway is one of my favourite countries!

[CBGLuthier]

2. Who does this rabbi think he is, the Pope?

[LeftishBrit]

3. Yosef is off his head, and all sane Jews and non-Jews should repudiate him

Glad to see that the ADL have condemned them!

[whosinpower]

7. I am actually a bit surprised

Pleasantly surprised that is. That is twice now the ADL have come out against Israel. They were also critical of the Loyalty Oath.

Yosef is 90 years old. It is time he retire.

I find myself a bit torn....on the one hand, I utterly reject and condemn what he said.....and on the other hand, I can not help but pity him.

[shaayecanaan]

12. They've come out for the migrant workers in Israel as well...

sort of. Hopefully this is a change for the better and not simply an attempt to buff their liberal credentials.

[aranthus]

15. This one does.

The ideas espoused by this rabbi have no place in any civilized society.

[Tripmann]

5. This story needs to be known all over the place. Pity it won't happen

I don't think the spiritual leader of part of israels government claiming non-jews were born to be in the servitude of jews would go down too well with ordinary decent human beings.

[oberliner]

13. White supremacist websites are pushing it hard

Most people, however, realize that this is a non-story.

This guy has said things that were way worse than this.

Google his comments about Katrina.

[azurnoir]

17. He was seemingly defended on another thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x336058#336090

but I must say you seem really "up" on supremacist sites

[oberliner]

22. I am definitely very much up on white supremacist sites

Tracking and combating the hatred they continue to spread is one of the important causes of my life.

[azurnoir]

27. well obviously I am not however the ones that operate under the guise

of normalcy are the ones that disturb me. Atlas Shrugged, The Jawa's, Jihad Watch, and the one that really gets me LaShaun Barber none of them are really considered "hate sites" in the manner that Stormfront is which IMO makes them all the more dangerous. Actually I have been to Stormfront once long ago it was listed as a "fantasy art" link from an H R Geiger site

[oberliner]

28. Atlas Shrugged - the Ayn Rand novel?

It could be interpreted to express some extreme political views but I wouldn't call it hate.

It is certainly not "white supremacist" by any stretch of the imagination.

Show me something at the link that you object to:

http://atlasshrugged.com/

[azurnoir]

29. Atlas Shrugs is the site I was speaking of wrong suffix

considering the other sites I mentioned one would think that would have been easy to figure out however perhaps you do not consider that a hate site or is it something else?

[oberliner]

30. Wow - that site looks insane

I'll add it to the list!

[azurnoir]

32. I am surprised because that is the site reputed to

have kicked off the anti Ground Zero Community Center/Mosque movement

[LeftishBrit]

31. I would guess that Azurnoir is referring to Pamela Geller's site 'Atlas Shrugs'

Geller is indeed very extreme and a supporter of racist people and groups. I have come across her most notably with regard to her proposing an alliance between the Tea Party Movement and that (far-right, racist) English Defence League.

There are indeed a lot of hate-groups and hate-sites- it sometimes becomes hard to keep track of them all. Stormfront is generally recognized as a hate-site because it's been around for a while; but there are newer ones just as bad that aren't as well known.

[azurnoir]

33. thanks that was what I meant hpwever my larger point if you will

is that sites such as hers have the potential to do far more more damage because they can appear to be "normal"? whereas supremacist, Nazi, KKK type sites will turn off most due to negative associations with those groups

[whosinpower]

18. When they strip him

Of his rabbinical duties....then it will be a non-story.

Until then, he has a platform to rant his anti-social beliefs - which should be rightfully condemned.

What he said inflames hatred - and you know this given that you state white supremacist websites are pushing this story.

I was reminded today of a story of an elder native here who, in a moment of utter stupidity and anti-semitism ranted something to a newspaper about jews. He fought in the second world war against the germans and for him to state what he did was awful. At the time, he was a respected leader in aboriginal circles. Prior to this incident, he had been awarded the Order of Canada for his efforts in gainig equality for aboriginal rights and veteran rights of aboriginals who fought in the war. He was a retired senator. Within days, he was stripped his order of Canada and denied his pension. All the good he did was erased in a drunken moment. He apologised....but it did not matter. His credibility, his reputation irrevocably was destroyed.

This rabbi - even if he is 90 years old, even if he is demented, should not be allowed to practice his duties. He perverts it. He is a danger. When they come down on him as forcefully as they did this aboriginal leader, then it will be acceptable....until then...it is very much a story.

[Tripmann]

21. Non-story? So if the Reverend Wright had said during Obamas presidential campaign

whitey should be in servitude to african-americans, it wouldn't reflect badly on Obama?? (Before Obama ditched him of course)

This old fool should be put out to pasture for everyones sake, especially jewish people living outside Israel.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

23. I'm not convinced his Katrina remarks were worse.

I think that they were arguably more offensive, but significantly less worrying, because they were less likely to be interpreted by his followers into political policies.

I also think that the fact that an influential figure has said other wicked and offensive things before does not make their doing so again a non-story.

[oberliner]

24. It was just one example from several years ago

Feel free to read through any of his Saturday sermons from the past ten years.

If the wicked and offensive things that an influential figure says constitutes a news story then Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck ought to be on the front page just about every day of the week.

Thankfully they are not, and neither should this person.

It is a non-story, just like the rantings of the much more popular and influential Limbaugh and Beck are non-stories in spite of the fact that their comments are even more likely to be interpreted by their followers into political policies.

To say nothing of the rantings of the various spiritual leaders across the middle east who get almost no press coverage in the west (and who are even more influential with respect to government policies).

[shaayecanaan]

34. Im pretty sure if Glen Beck et al were to say something like this it would be front page news

and in any event, the ADL certainly thought this was newsworthy. Probably more newsworthy than the sequencing of a cartoon montage during a Pink Floyd concert, which did get a bit of traction in the MSM.

[oberliner]

35. BS - he says crap worse than that daily

Have you ever heard him talk about his Christian faith?

Also, ADL did not think it was newsworthy. They gave it as much attention as any of the myriad of other defamatory remarks they cite.

[shaayecanaan]

36. I'm understand that Glenn Beck's remarks get quite a bit of criticism from some quarters.

I'm not saying it should be splashed across the editorial pages for two weeks solid. On the other hand, it shouldnt be nerfed, either. If a significant Islamic figure or spiritual head of an Islamic party made similar remarks, I think it would be similarly newsworthy.

[oberliner]

37. "If a significant Islamic figure or spiritual head of an Islamic party made similar remarks

I think it would be similarly newsworthy."

Are you kidding?

[shaayecanaan]

38. We have one right here...

the daily newspapers used to write an editorial about once a week for this guy. He was eventually persuaded to retire.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheik_Alhilali#Controversies

[bemildred]

6. Oh Good.

"Why are gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi and eat."

:popcorn::popcorn:

[azurnoir]

8. well at least he understands the value

of a good servant which puts him ahead of most US corporations

side note your post gave me inspiration when "extolling" my 13 yr old son to take out the trash, or you don't know what that means Google it after your done

[bemildred]

14. Big words make you more credible.

Everybody knows that.
:hi:

[azurnoir]

16. Lol that's a big word?????? n/t

[bemildred]

25. Sure, three syllables, it could really slow you down ... nt

[azurnoir]

26. ok if you say so n/t

[Crunchy Frog]

9. Maybe they could give him a padded cell somewhere.

[Alamuti Lotus]

10. A dark cave called, it said it needs its batshit back..

Good thing this guy doesn't have kingmaker status in any government Israel has tried to form in the last 10 or so years.......oh.

[Poll_Blind]

19. LOL, what an anti-Semitic douche! n/t

PB

[ishaneferguson]

39. Israel has its "tea baggers" too.

Every body politic has its "tea baggers."

[UndertheOcean]

40. WTF ? I am for free speech and all , but WTF ??

[Prometheus Bound]

41. I think it's important that he feels free to speak his mind like this.

At least people know what they're dealing with.