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Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu. (Lior Mizrahi / BauBau)
Last update - 15:55 26/03/2008
Safed chief rabbi calls on state to exact 'revenge' against Arabs
By Nadav Shragai, Jack Khoury, and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: Israel, Safed, Arabs 

The chief rabbi of Safed, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, is calling on the government to carry out "state-sanctioned revenge" against Arabs in order to, in his words, restore Israel's deterrence.

The Musawa Center for Arab Rights in Israel said it planned to urge the Attorney General to censure Eliyahu over the comments and punish him "at the fullest severity of the law."

In a piece penned for this upcoming weekend's edition of the newsletter "Eretz Yisrael Shelanu," Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu wrote: "It's time to call the child by its name: Revenge, revenge, revenge. We mustn't forget. We have to take horrible revenge for the terrorist attack at Mercaz Harav yeshiva," referring to the incident in which eight students were killed earlier this month.
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"I'm not talking about individual people in particular, I'm talking about the state," Eliyahu wrote. "[The state] has to pain them to the point where they scream 'Enough,' to the point where they fall flat on their face and scream 'help.' Not for the sake of satisfying the need for revenge but for the purposes of deterrence."

In the newsletter, which was distributed to synagogues around the country, Eliyahu proposes "hanging the children of the terrorist who carried out the attack in the Mercaz Harav yeshiva from a tree."

"Two weeks have passed since the attack and we haven't heard of any retaliatory operations by Israel," the Safed chief rabbi wrote. "Something is amiss among the decision makers at the top. At one time, this was a basic component of Israel's policy. Every operation by the 'fedayeen' - the prior name used to describe terrorists - would bring a painful response. Today, they have forgotten the meaning of 'deterrence force'. The IDF's capacity for deterrence is gone."

The rabbi added that he "already sees all the bleeding hearts clicking their tongues, moving uncomfortably in their chairs, contorting their faces at this display of 'depravity' and beginning to spout their slogans. 'Barbaric.' 'Amoral.' 'Inciter' and the rest of the usual words that are frequently blurted out from their mouths. Don't pay them any mind. With their way of doing things, there won't be a state here in another 30 years. They've already taken the trouble to arrange foreign passports for their children. We'll stay here. We need to live with those who understand very well the language of revenge."

Activists at Musawa pointed to prior statements in which the rabbi made statements which were viewed as problematic by the Arab community.

"This isn't the first time the rabbi from Safed incites against Arabs," a Musawa spokesperson said. "In 2004, Eliyahu gave a radio interview in which he called on homeowners neither to rent out their homes nor sell their homes to Arabs."

The activist also accused the attorney general of being too selective in enforcing laws against expressions of racism and incitement.

"Whenever Mazuz receives a complaint about an instance of incitement and racism, he defends the freedom of expression for the Jewish inciters while, on the other hand, hands down an indictment against [the head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement] Sheikh Ra'ad Salah," the activist said. "Calls to torture and take revenge against Arabs are incitement to racism and violence, and we expect the justice system to act and crack down on the phenomena that lead to violence."

The head of Young Meretz, Uri Zachi, urged Mazuz to investigate the rabbi and to prohibit the disseminating of the newsletter "Eretz Yisrael Shelanu."

Officials in the Reform Movement also issued harsh condemnations in response to Eliyahu's statements.

"Jewish history is rife with extremists whose fanaticism brought disasters upon the nation while sullying its moral character," Rabbi Gilad Kariv said. "It would be best if the concept of revenge, as opposed to the concept of deterrence, would be a foreign one to the state of Israel as a democratic state of law and as the state of the Jewish people. Rabbi Eliyahu's comments are further proof of the attorney general's serious error in deciding to retract an indictment against Rabbi Eliyahu for incitement to racism in exchange for a shady apology."

Related articles:
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  • Arab MK to chief rabbis: Slam rabbinic calls to harm Arabs
  • Shin Bet: No evidence of far-right plot to avenge J'lem yeshiva massacre
  • Rightist rabbis urge 'measure for measure' revenge on foes
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      1.   Mad dog Eliyahu 11:51  |  D Hirod 26/03/08
      2.   Apikorsus, and everyone knows it 12:06  |  Magavnik 26/03/08
      3.   Religious lunatics 12:08  |  HS 26/03/08
      4.   No more blood 12:10  |  Fahmi Natour 26/03/08
      5.   Proud to be a bleeding heart liberal, then! 12:14  |  Faraz Kermani 26/03/08
      6.   #4 HS "Religious Lunatics" 12:16  |  Murray of Montreal 26/03/08
      7.   Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu is a monster 12:18  |  David James Vickery 26/03/08
      8.   Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu`s children 12:18  |  John Saul 26/03/08
      9.   Harsh Words - the sentiments are correct though 12:21  |  S Judah 26/03/08
      10.   Israeli Lefties love their own children less than they love pals 12:21  |  Absolute Sweden 26/03/08
      11.   Bloodthirsty rabbi 12:23  |  Jack 26/03/08
      12.   SILLY man!! If true. He does not speak for me or anyone I know- 12:23  |  PETER SM 26/03/08
      13.   Now another rabbi... 12:26  |  Esther 26/03/08
      14.   Well, he calls it as it is...... 12:31  |  Johnboy 26/03/08
      15.   Which legal system? 12:35  |  Motic 26/03/08
      16.   Blind 12:35  |  Jude 26/03/08
      17.   Judah of London 12:37  |  Michael 26/03/08
      18.   reminds me of Revenge of the Master Race 12:37  |  sev 26/03/08
      19.   Purim binge? 12:38  |  Joseph 26/03/08
      20.   safed chief rabbi and revenge 12:40  |  siem 26/03/08
      21.   Rabbi Eliyahu and others like him 13:01  |  Robin Hood 26/03/08
      22.   Sooooo, what is Israeli security going to do about this.... 13:05  |  Johnboy 26/03/08
      23.   NOT A rabbi of the true Jewish order 13:05  |  George 26/03/08
      24.   He is obviously in a great deal of pain. Lord, have mercy. 13:14  |  . 26/03/08
      25.   Preaching hatred 13:14  |  SJ 26/03/08
      26.   will he be asking the ultra orthadox to join the army to? 13:18  |  concerned citizen 26/03/08
      27.   AND THEY TALK ABOUT ANTISEMITISM..... THIS IS FAR WORSE 13:21  |  TripleJump 26/03/08
      28.   SJ what about Rabin and his ilk? 13:25  |  Simcha 26/03/08
      29.   And there you are still wondering ... 13:28  |  Axel 26/03/08
      30.   This case ... 13:35  |  Axel 26/03/08
      31.   Eliyahu is only following the Old Testament 13:40  |  Raad 26/03/08
      32.   This man is every bit a terrorist. 13:42  |  Deborah 26/03/08
      33.   The State must respond to the terror attack at Mercaz Ha`Rav 13:50  |  Haldrik 26/03/08
      34.   # 28 Simcha not exactly correct 13:51  |  SJ 26/03/08
      35.   # 30 You have no moral credibility 13:54  |  CM 26/03/08
      36.   raad 31 13:59  |  gEORGE 26/03/08
      37.   Not unusual 14:03  |  menachem 26/03/08
      38.   SJ killed the hopes of the country you are nuts 14:03  |  Simcha 26/03/08
      39.   How do these rabid rabbis get appointed in the first place? 14:06  |  Esther 26/03/08
      40.   George # 36 14:13  |  Raad 26/03/08
      41.   HAIL RABBI!!!!!! AS THE RABBI WATCHED THE SWINGING TREES 14:17  |  yAAKOV sULLIVAN 26/03/08
      42.   What a pitiful person. 14:20  |  Goldstein 26/03/08
      43.   Of course - but is not the govt. arming the PA 14:20  |  Jack 26/03/08
      44.   Isn`t that incitement to murder? 14:22  |  Michael 26/03/08
      45.   Eliyahu and his children 14:23  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/03/08
      46.   The Racism of Religious Jews 14:23  |  POP 26/03/08
      47.   AN OFFER to The Rabbis 14:24  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 26/03/08
      48.   Rabbi WHACKO Eliyahu 14:30  |  Chaval 26/03/08
      49.   WHAT HAPPENS IF SOME RABBIS GO TO OTHER SIDE TO TALK PEACEFULLY ? 14:30  |  ... 26/03/08
      50.   Zero chance Israels current administration gets reelected 14:32  |  Haldrik 26/03/08
      51.   Can Israeli Politicians Show, they are Leaders? 14:32  |  Sharif Hafez 26/03/08
      52.   Gefreiter Axel,Maul Halten,your comparisons prove Germans 14:32  |  Absolute Sweden 26/03/08
      53.   Michael you lie 44 14:35  |  Simcha 26/03/08
      54.   TripleJump, but we must understand 14:35  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/03/08
      55.   to 47 Terrorist dishonor Arabs 14:35  |  CM 26/03/08
      56.   Reply # 38 not so simcha 14:37  |  SJ 26/03/08
      57.   Free Speech 14:37  |  Ari 26/03/08
      58.   Most of the responders above seem evil 14:38  |  Objectivity 26/03/08
      59.   #9, S Judah, you think this would stop Arab terrorism? 14:42  |  newageblues 26/03/08
      60.   Eliyahu, talk peaceably!!??? 14:43  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/03/08
      61.   NOONE HERE EVER LISTENS TO FRIDAY SERMONS IN THE WORLD`S MOSQUES 14:44  |  Freethinker 26/03/08
      62.   Ari from the City of Brotherly Love 14:48  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/03/08
      63.   Jewish rabbis are becomming more radical than Muslim clerics 14:48  |  Rami 26/03/08
      64.   Why Does Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Not Call On SHAS . . . 14:49  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 26/03/08
      65.   Freethinker, oh come off it!! 14:53  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/03/08
      66.   # 52 Not all Germans should be castrated 14:54  |  CM 26/03/08
      67.   "Jewish rabbis are becoming more radical than Muslim clerics" 14:55  |  *crosses fingers* 26/03/08
      68.   GUYS ! DONT PANIC. WE KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR HEARTS :) 14:55  |  NO PROBLEM 26/03/08
      69.   To Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu. 14:56  |  sandra chitayat