Jerusalem (AP) - Controversy raged in Israel on Sunday after an eminent rabbi who is also the leader of Israel's biggest ultra-Orthodox political party, said the six million Jews who perished in the Nazi Holocaust died because they were reincarnations of sinners in previous generations. Yosef was speaking in his weekly Saturday night sermon that is broadcast over the party's radio stations and is even beamed overseas by satellite. He called the Nazis "evil'' and the victims "poor people," but he concluded that the six million "were reincarnations of the souls of sinners, people who transgressed and did all sorts of things which should not be done. They had been reincarnated in order to atone." The belief in reincarnation is common in some ultra-orthodox groups.(1)
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international center for Holocaust remembrance, said the rabbi absolved the perpetrators of the Holocaust of their responsibility. "If those Jews deserved to die for past sins, why blame those who carried out the death sentence,"' said Ephraim Zuroff, director of the group's Jerusalem office.(1)
Shas chairman Eli Ishai said criticism of the rabbi by the media and secular politicians is unjustified. "Rabbi Ovadia weeps for every Jew who is killed ... but nobody, not even a saint, has not sinned. Everyone dies in a state of sin. Nobody can be perfect all his life."(1)
This view is regarded as wrong and misguided by most of the world.
Educational Holocaust Links |
| United States Holocaust Memorial Museumushmm.org/ |
| National Holocaust Memorial Center Yad Vashem http://www.yadvashem.org/ |
| Jewish Virtual Library http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/holo.html |
Learn more about the holiday of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The Holocaust was a terrible event, regardless of why it happened.
JewishRoots.Net does not support the idea of reincarnation. This article was posted to show that inside of religious circles, not everyone agrees on all things. Our position is based on New Testament Scripture which teaches, "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:29). From this verse we learn that each person is responsible for themselves. The only second chance a person has is through their faith in Christ. Through that faith a sinners judgment becomes a favorable one since the penalty for their sin has been already paid in full.
1). The Associated Press By Jack Katzenell 8-6-2000
