After promising that the coronavirus wouldn't reach Israel, "because we are strict about the words of the Torah by washing hands and the rest of the commandments," Rabbi Meir Mazuz, a leading Sephardic rabbi and head of the Kisse Rahamim (Seat of Mercy) yeshiva, said on Sunday that the recent spread of the virus was punishment for LGBTQ parades.
Speaking at Kisse Rahamim Saturday night, Mazuz said, "The Pride Parade is a parade against nature, and whoever acts against nature, He who created nature will avenge him. When you do things against nature, you are sticking your hand in the fire and praying that the fire will not burn you. It will burn you! Here they have the insolence to revolt against nature, the Pride Parade, what are you proud of?"
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Mazuz continued, saying: "All the countries that have this [evil] are all [suffering from the coronavirus] except for the Arab states that do not have this evil inclination, this thing, and aren't suffering from this disease."
"They say that in Tunisia there's just one person who's been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and none in the rest of the Arab world, except Iran where people have bad character traits and are horrible Israel haters. [Arabs] avoid eating dangerous things (unkosher food) and being like us," Mazuz claimed.
In 2015, Mazuz claimed gay pride parades and other forms of "sinful behavior" were the reason terrorists murdered Eitam and Naama Henkin.
At a memorial event for the Henkins, Mazuz said their shooting death at the hands of Palestinian terrorists had been a form of divine retribution.
In 2016, Mazuz attributed the collapse of a Tel Aviv parking garage that killed six people and an explosion that destroyed the Amos-6 satellite to the desecration of Shabbat.
The Anti-Defamation League's Israel branch said on Facebook on Sunday in response to Mazuz's statements: "It is very regrettable and unfortunate that in the moments that the entire world is united in order to eradicate the coronavirus, Rabbi Mazuz finds it correct to blame the LGBTQ community, and to treat members [of the community] as if they were responsible for the outbreak of the disease. We strongly condemn these words and call on the rabbi to apologize."
