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Last update - 10:39 25/11/2008
ADL condemns Shas Rabbi Yosef for terming secular teachers 'asses'
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Shas, Rabbi Yosef, education 


The Anti-Defamation League Tuesday condemned ultra-Orthodox Shas party spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef for having called secular teachers in Israel "asses," terming his remarks incendiary, derogatory and disrespectful.

The rabbi's comments came during his weekly sermon on Saturday night. Rabbi Yosef, who had previously indicated his desire to see the ultra-Orthodox party control the Education Ministry, said that the teachers in the secular education system know nothing, "neither Shabbat, nor holiday", and teach only "nonsense." He also said that children whose parents placed them in the secular education system were unfortunate.
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"What do they teach? They teach history and all sorts of nonsense about world nations, that's all," Rabbi Yosef said.

The ADL said that it was "shocked and saddened at the incendiary and derogatory statement."

"We call on Rabbi Yosef, as a religious authority who is instilling educational values, to refrain from such language and promote respect for all people in order to heal rifts in Israeli society, particularly between secular and observant Jews."

Earlier in the week, Education Minister Yuli Tamir responded harshly to Yosef's remarks, demanding that he publicly apologize for the "ugly comment." She added that the rabbi's sermon was "rude, baseless, and offensive to tens of thousands of public servants who faithfully carry out their difficult work."

National Union-National Religious Party Chairman MK Zevulun Orlev said that "Shas deserves the education portfolio about as much as the National Union-NRP deserves the defense portfolio."

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