Fifty Israeli rabbis have signed an open letter warning Jews not to rent or sell property to non-Jews, saying those who do should be "ostracised".
Photo: AP
"In answer to the many questions, we say that it is forbidden in the Torah to sell a house or a field in the land of Israel to a foreigner," they wrote, referring to the Pentateuch - the first five books of the Bible.
The letter, which was signed mostly by state-employed rabbis, warns that "he who sells or rents them a flat in an area where Jews live causes great harm to his neighbours."
"After someone sells or rents just one flat, the value of all the neighbouring flats drops... He who sells or rents (to non-Jews) causes his neighbours a big loss and his sin is great," the letter said, in what was largely understood to refer to Israel's Arab minority.
"Anyone who sells (property to a non-Jew) must be cut off!!"
According to the Israeli news website Ynet, the letter is to be published in religious newspapers and distributed in synagogues across the country later this week.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel slammed the letter as "racist."
"Rabbis who are civil servants have an obligation to the entire public, including Israel's Arab citizens. It is unthinkable that they would use their public status to promote racism and incitement," the group said in a statement.
The organisation called on Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, to take disciplinary action against state-employed rabbis who signed the document.
Mohammed Barakeh, an Arab-Israeli member of parliament, said the letter was "supremely racist" and called for the government's legal adviser to investigate the rabbis behind it.
"It seems that the signatories realise that the Israeli establishment is complicit in the crimes of incitement to racial hatred, so they are acting without fear," he said in a statement.
An influential group of Orthodox rabbis also condemned the letter.
"It is forbidden to discriminate among citizens in a democracy," said Yaakov Ariel, head of the Tsohar organisation, and grand rabbi of the Israeli city of Ramat Gan.
Another rabbi, Yehuda Gilad, called the letter "a serious distortion of the (religious) texts, which is contrary to Jewish moral values."
The letter came as tensions grow between religious Jewish and Arab-Israeli residents of the northern town of Safed, where local rabbi Shmuel Eliahu has called on Jews to avoid renting or selling property to Arabs.
Safed's college attracts Arab-Israeli students from the surrounding area, many of whom seek accommodation in the town while studying.
"Anyone who sells (property to a non-Jew) must be cut off!!"
According to the Israeli news website Ynet, the letter is to be published in religious newspapers and distributed in synagogues across the country later this week.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel slammed the letter as "racist."
"Rabbis who are civil servants have an obligation to the entire public, including Israel's Arab citizens. It is unthinkable that they would use their public status to promote racism and incitement," the group said in a statement.
The organisation called on Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, to take disciplinary action against state-employed rabbis who signed the document.
Mohammed Barakeh, an Arab-Israeli member of parliament, said the letter was "supremely racist" and called for the government's legal adviser to investigate the rabbis behind it.
"It seems that the signatories realise that the Israeli establishment is complicit in the crimes of incitement to racial hatred, so they are acting without fear," he said in a statement.
An influential group of Orthodox rabbis also condemned the letter.
"It is forbidden to discriminate among citizens in a democracy," said Yaakov Ariel, head of the Tsohar organisation, and grand rabbi of the Israeli city of Ramat Gan.
Another rabbi, Yehuda Gilad, called the letter "a serious distortion of the (religious) texts, which is contrary to Jewish moral values."
The letter came as tensions grow between religious Jewish and Arab-Israeli residents of the northern town of Safed, where local rabbi Shmuel Eliahu has called on Jews to avoid renting or selling property to Arabs.
Safed's college attracts Arab-Israeli students from the surrounding area, many of whom seek accommodation in the town while studying.
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