The spiritual leader of the fervently Orthodox Shas Party prompted a public outcry for saying that the Jews murdered in the Holocaust were the reincarnated souls of sinners. During his weekly sermon, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef also referred to the Palestinians as “snakes.” Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said Yosef’s remarks were not fitting for a rabbi of his standing.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.