The founder of the Tzohar association of moderate Orthodox rabbis in Israel spoke out this week against Holocaust survivors who compared the deportation of illegal migrants to their experiences during WWII.
In a letter to Holocaust survivors seeking to preserve the residency status of migrants in Israel, Rabbi David Stav wrote, "I think we need to treat Holocaust survivors with a lot of respect for their determination and heroism, but nevertheless, it is inconceivable to compare the murder of children, women and men in crematoria and in gas chambers and a political, moral and social issue. This comparison is particularly outrageous."
The letter comes after a nationwide campaign tried to pressure the Israeli government into reversing its policy of deporting African migrants from Israel to third party countries in Africa.
Stav said that with all due respect to the survivors, the state of Israel needs to act on its national interests and not its emotions. He argued that the policy ensured that migrants would not be deported to countries where their lives would be in danger. If that were the case, "then certainly they could not be transferred to such a country," he emphasized.
Stav cautioned that "if we start to compare the actions of the Nazis and the handling of the refugees, then others will begin to compare the [Israel's] control over Judea and Samaria to the Vichy regime [that collaborated with Nazi Germany in World War II]." He said that within the national discourse, it must be clear "that the Holocaust was something unique and beyond compare."
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked also spoke out on the issue, posting on Facebook Tuesday that the efforts to pressure the government were a "fake campaign meant to harm the government's effort to expel the infiltrators from Israel."
Shaked sad the many comparisons to the Holocaust online and in the media were a "disgrace" and made her "sick." She said they showed "contempt for the Holocaust."
She wrote, "Nothing here is in good faith. There are players with a lot of money that are trying to manufacture fake news. Don't believe them!" she implored.
