Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (photo) last week called for prayers for Iran’s destruction. He didn’t call for the destruction of the Islamic Republic or the government of Iran. No, he called for the destruction of Iran, much as many clerics in Iran demand the total destruction of Israel. Yosef is no run-of-the-mill rabbi. He is spiritual leader of the ultra-orthodox Shas political party, which is part of the governing coalition. Shas does as instructed by Yosef. In a sermon Saturday, Yosef said, “When we ask God to ‘bring an end to our enemies,’ we should be thinking about Iran, those evil ones who threaten Israel. May the Lord destroy them. In the past, Yosef has stirred controversy by likening Palestinians to snakes, calling for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to “perish from this world,” and describing non-Jews as “born only to serve us.” Yosef was born in Baghdad, which might explain some of his hostility to Iran.
