Saturday, February 04, 2012

No more spitting please

The Anti defamation league (ADL) has asked the Chief Rabbi of Israel to publicly condemn “the repulsive decade year old custom ultra Orthodox Jews have of spitting in the direction of Christian priests when they meet them in the street.”

“This repulsive gesture, is a hateful act of persecution against other confessions and constitutes profanation of God’s name according to Jewish law,” Abraham H. Foxman, national director of ADL, said in a declaration. 

“There is no place for such acts of hate and sectarianism in Israel and it goes against Jewish values, which consist in treating all people with respect and kindness.”

ADL sent a letter to Chief Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yona Metzger, urging them to meet with Haredi leaders to put an end to this custom and to encourage this community to show respect towards other religions and to strive for peaceful coexistence.