Chief Rabbi to Ban Ki-Moon: Prevent Boycotts Against Israel

Yesterday, Israeli Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchak Yosef addressed boycotts against the Israel in his speech at the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in Kazakhstan, attended by the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-Moon.

“Recently, we saw with our own eyes that words can kill. It is our obligation as leaders to express our repulsion towards any kind of boycott,” said Rav Yosef.

Rav Yosef addressed the Secretary-General, with whom he spoke personally during the Congress, and called him to start an initiative which will fight the phenomena of boycotting.

“It is not enough not to cooperate with it, because one should also fight it actively,” said Rav Yosef. “Those who turn to boycott are not interested in true peace, as boycotts bring to the opposite outcome.”

In his speech, Rav Yosef explained that to reach eventual peace between nations and religions, one should exercise an approach of tolerance. He explained that Judaism teaches us this lesson, and that is why we take three steps back in the prayer of “He who makes peace in His heavens” (Oseh Shalom Bimromav). “To reach peace, every side ought to take 3 steps backwards,” he said.

Rav Yosef thanked his host, the president of Kazakhstan, Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, and ended his speech with a blessing to the tens of participants in situ: “He who makes peace in His heavens, May He make peace for us and for all Israel, and say: Amen”.

An ovation followed. An additional closed-media speech was made by Rav Yosef to the High Council of the religious leaders.

Tens of religious leaders attended the Congress, including representatives from countries Israel has no diplomatic relations with, such as Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Afghanistan. Moreover, heads of states also participated in the Congress, among them Abdullah, King of Jordan.

{Matzav.com Israel News Bureau}