Perilous Times
Rabbi: Israel forest fire 'divine retribution' for failure to observe
Sabbath
Israel's most politically influential rabbi has courted controversy by
claiming that the deadliest forest fire in the country's history was
divine retribution for the failure of many Israelis to observe the
Sabbath.
By Adrian Blomfield, Jerusalem 4:57PM GMT 05 Dec 2010
Israeli police have detained two teenagers who are suspected of
inadvertently starting the blaze, which killed 41 people, by leaving a
bonfire unattended.
Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of Shas, a powerful religious party
in Israel's coalition government, said there was little doubt that the
fire was sent by God to punish his chosen people for their waywardness.
In his weekly sermon, the rabbi quoted a section from the Talmud, a
central Jewish religious text, which proclaimed that "the fire only
exists in a place where the Sabbath is desecrated".
"Homes were ruined, entire neighbourhoods wiped out, and it's not
arbitrary," he said. "It is all divine providence. We must repent and
keep the Sabbath properly."
Rabbi Yosef also predicted that God would only heal the scorched earth
of Mt Carmel, where more than 10,000 acres of forest were destroyed,
when the people of Israel came to their senses.
For many ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel, Rabbi Yosef is the most
important religious authority in the land and his comments drew little
criticism from government officials wary of upsetting a powerful
coalition partner.
The Israeli press was more hostile, forcing Eli Yishai, the interior
minister and political leader of Shas, to defend his colleague.
"The rabbi preaches morals to all of us in order to gain strength, to
do good deeds and to repent," he said.
Mr Yishai has faced calls to resign amid accusations that his ministry
failed to heed calls for more funding and better equipment for the
country's overstretched fire service.
Forced to appeal for international assistance, Israeli firefighters
said the forest fire had finally been brought under control on Sunday
afternoon. Firefighting aircraft from around the world, including two
RAF helicopters, have been fighting the blaze, which claimed most of
its victims after a bus carrying prison service cadets became trapped
in the flames.