Ovadia Yosef Quotes

Ovadia Yosef was an Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, a posek, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983, and the founder and long-time spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party. Yosef's responsa were highly regarded within Haredi circles, particularly among Mizrahi communities, among whom he was regarded as "the most important living halakhic authority".On occasion, Yosef made statements relating to various groups and individuals which were deemed controversial by his critics. In response, supporters of Yosef claimed he was misquoted or his words taken out of context. What has been called "hate speech" on his part has been condemned by the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League. Wikipedia  

✵ 23. September 1920 – 7. October 2013
Ovadia Yosef photo
Ovadia Yosef: 11 quotes1 like

Famous Ovadia Yosef Quotes

“It is forbidden to be merciful to them. You must send missiles to them and annihilate them. They are evil and damnable.”

Ovadia Yosef

5 December 2004 article on New York Times https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E5DD1730F936A25751C1A9629C8B63 <br class="br">2001

“They don't observe the Sabbath, they don't observe the Torah, they don't pray, they don't put on phylacteries every day. Is it any wonder that they're killed? It's no wonder. May the Almighty have mercy on them and bring them back to religion.”

Ovadia Yosef

Israel rabbi in fallen troops row, BBC News, 27 August 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6965607.stm, <br class="br">Jewish law

“It is forbidden to be merciful to them. You must send missiles to them and annihilate them. They are evil and damnable. […] The Lord shall return the Arabs' deeds on their own heads, waste their seed and exterminate them, devastate them and vanish them from this world.”

Ovadia Yosef

Undated sermon calling for the annihilation of Arabs; a Shas spokesman stated Yosef only meant &quot;Arab murderers and terrorists&quot; <br class="br"> Rabbi calls for annihilation of Arabs, news.bbc.co.uk, BBC News, 10 April 2001, 2007-09-23 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1270038.stm,

“Why are Gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi and eat. That is why Gentiles were created.”

Ovadia Yosef

19 October 2010 article on Jerusalem Post http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=191782 <br class="br">2010

“Saving a life overrides territories.”

Ovadia Yosef

Sentence according to Jewish law, 1979 <br class="br"> Hebrew source http://www.maariv.co.il/online/11/ART/804/189.html.

Ovadia Yosef Quotes about the world

“There was a tsunami and there are terrible natural disasters, all of this because of too little Torah study. Where there is Torah it sustains the world. There are negros there [in New Orleans]. Negros will study Torah? Let's bring them a tsunami, drown them. Hundreds of thousands were left without a shelter. Tens of thousands died. All of this is because they have no God.”

Ovadia Yosef

Regarding Hurricane Katrina, September 6, 2005 <br class="br">[Zvi, Alush, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3138779,00.html, Rabbi: Hurricane punishment for pullout, ynetnews.com, 7 September 2005, 2007-09-23] <br class="br"> Hebrew source http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3138771,00.html

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