ROME - Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger on Wednesday accused Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of "trying to imitate Hitler" and urged the international community to isolate him.

"I urge the heads of state of the whole world and the United Nations to do everything possible to stop the threat that Iran poses to my people and my country," Rabbi Metzger said at a inter-religious conference with Vatican officials in Rome.

"(Ahmadinejad) is trying to imitate Hitler, hurling grave warnings against the Jewish people, who find themselves under an existential threat from the leader of Iran, who is invoking the destruction of my people," Metzger said, adding that "Not taking a position against a threat is worse than the threat itself," he added.

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In the past year, Ahmadinejad has launched repeated verbal attacks against Israel. He has sparked international outcry by referring to the killing of six million Jews in the Holocaust as a "myth" and calling for Israel to be "wiped off the map".

Last month, he told delegates at an international conference in Tehran questioning the Holocaust that Israel's days were numbered.

Metzger also reiterated Israel's invitation to Benedict, saying "whenever the pope would like to come to Israel, we will welcome him warmly." He hailed current relations between Christians and Jews as very positive.

The Holy See has said he hopes to travel to the Holy Land and pray in Jerusalem as soon as circumstances permit.

Pope calls on Jews, Christians to work for peace
Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday called on Christians and Jews to work together for world peace.

The pope has been reaching out to Jews, following in the footsteps of his
predecessor, the late John Paul II. Benedict visited a synagogue in Cologne, Germany, during his first trip abroad as pontiff in 2005.

"I invite all to ... invoke the Lord so that Christians and Jews respect each other, appreciate each other and cooperate for justice and peace in the world," Benedict told thousands of faithful during his weekly general audience at the Vatican.

The pope also touched upon another frequent theme when he called for Christian unity, saying the road is "long and not easy" but adding it is necessary "not to get discouraged."

The Italian Bishops Conference has dedicated Wednesday to Catholic-Jewish
dialogue.

Separately, a Catholic lay organization, the Sant'Egidio Community, organized a conference drawing Vatican officials and religious leaders to discuss Christian-Jewish relations.