Israel's Chief Sephardi Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef sparked controversy Tuesday for denouncing Russian immigrants as non-Jews who came to Israel only so they could undermine the religious establishment.
The remarks were made at a rabbinical gathering last week in Jerusalem, where Yosef told the audience that "hundreds of thousands or tens of thousands of non-Jews came to Israel because of the law defining who is a Jew."
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Israel's amended Law of Return grants Jews as well as non-Jewish spouses, children, and grandchildren of Jews and their spouses to immigrate to the Jewish state.
Central Bureau of Statistics data shows that more than 430,000 people living in Israel are non-Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, who immigrated to Israel after 1989 under the Law of Return.
"There are many, many non-Jews here, and some of them are Communists, enemies of the faith, haters of religion," Yosef said. "They aren't Jewish at all, they are non-Jews. And they vote for parties which incite against haredim and against the faith.
"They were brought here to Israel so as to serve as a counter-balance against the haredim. So that in elections there won't be too many haredim. That's why these total non-Jews were allowed to immigrate to Israel – absolute non-Jews. Unfortunately, we are seeing the result of their incitement," he said.
The remarks were widely condemned.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted the comments as "outrageous and inappropriate."
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz said Yosef must apologize, adding that the State of Israel owes a debt to immigrants from the Soviet Union who brought cultural, scientific and social knowledge with them.
Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, whose party's constituency is made up primarily of Russian immigrants, called on Yosef to resign, saying his remarks amounted to "anti-Semitic and racist."
Rabbi David Stav, chairman of the Tzohar Modern Orthodox organization and a prominent religious figure said the chief rabbi's comments about Russian immigrants were unacceptable.
"It's incomprehensible that someone who stands at the head of the rabbinical courts and the Rabbinate spreads lies about local rabbis and is doubting the integrity of local Rabbinical Judges, simply because of his own personal views," Stav told Israel Hayom.
"The Chief Rabbis of Israel should be held responsible to find a solution to the challenge of assimilation within Israeli society that has come about in part due to their failures in properly addressing conversion issues. Tzohar will continue to assist immigrants to Israel and to prove their Jewish identities through our Shorashim project in close partnership with the Rabbinical Courts and rabbis.
Rabbi Yosef stood by his comments on Tuesday, however, saying they were "distorted by politicians" who had been inciting against Jews and Judaism and adding that non-Jews were a minority among immigrants from ex-Soviet Union.
A statement by the Shas party, for which Rabbi Yosef is the spiritual leader, said:
"Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef did not say a word against our Jewish brothers and sisters, Russian immigrants, who are a tremendous blessing to the State of Israel and who maintained their Jewish character and religion despite great difficulties throughout the decades.
"Lieberman is knowingly distorting Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef's words. The rabbi was referring to non-Jewish immigrants, who unfortunately are growing in numbers because of a breach of the "grandson's clause" in the Law of Return. Shas will not abide incitement of any kind against Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef."
On Tuesday evening the Democratic Union called on Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit to launch an investigation against the chief rabbi over incitement against Russian immigrants in Israel.
"Those who came to Israel from the former Soviet Union immigrated by law and are equal citizens who must protect from such expressions of hatred and from hate speech that could lead to violence," the letter, signed by faction head MK Tamar Zandberg reads.
"It is therefore not possible for a person in such a senior public position to express himself in this way towards any group of citizens."
