Such racism and ignorance should get Rabbi Yosef removed from office
Chief rabbi calls black people ‘monkeys’
Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef uses pejorative term 'kushi' for African Americans in weekly sermon
Uri Regev
21/03/2018 12:59
Tags: Yitzhak Yosef · Chief Rabbinate · racism
Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, source: Wikipedia
From the Times of Israel:
The Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel called black people “monkeys” during his weekly sermon on Saturday evening.
In footage aired by the Ynet news site, Yosef could be seen referring to black people by the word “kushi,” which in modern Hebrew has pejorative connotations, and then going on to term a black person a “monkey.”
Perhaps Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef is the Chief Rabbi in his own eyes (and in the eyes of those who maneuvered to get him elected), but given his pronouncements - in the eyes of most world Jews he is just a foolish and judgment-lacking rabbi.
Perhaps Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef is the Chief Rabbi in his own eyes (and in the eyes of those who maneuvered to get him elected), but given his pronouncements - in the eyes of most world Jews he is just a foolish and judgment-lacking rabbi.
His racism and ignorance make it advisable for the State of Israel to relieve him of his position before he causes any further damage.
Just as in the case of his late father, instead of acknowledging the ugliness and rudeness of their words and apologizing, their followers try to justify their words as if these were the words of the living God. This time, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel "explained" that Rabbi Yosef had merely been citing The Talmud.
But this is not so!
Anyone who reads the Gemara text would see that the reference to Kushites (a dark-skinned nation) is separate from the reference to animals. Further, our sages did not think to compare the two, nor to describe a child as a monkey!
Even those who respect and honor Jewish tradition should express disgust at Rabbi Yosef's distorted worldview, which not only disparages a whole segment of the world's population but also demeans Jewish heritage!