Israel: An Israeli religious leader, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, has caused controversy by calling the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria “divine justice.”
According to The Times of Israel, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu wrote an article for a religious news portal in which he made shameful statements about the disaster that resulted in the deaths of at least 28,000 people from both countries.
Eliyahu, known for his extreme views and hateful language, compared the disaster to the drowning of Pharaoh’s army and called it “poetic justice.”
He also wrote that “everything is happening to clean up the world and make it better.”
Everything is happening to clean up the world and make it better
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu
Rabbi Eliyahu is the Chief Rabbi of Safed and the head of the Israeli emergency service, the Red Star of David.
He has been linked to the far-right and racist Otzma Jewish Party in Israel, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has said that Eliyahu should become the Chief Rabbi of Israel.
The rabbi’s comments have been criticized, as many see them as insensitive and offensive toward the disaster victims.
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