Rabbi: Israel needs religious PM

Safed's chief rabbi: Turns out that Olmert is more corrupt than we thought, PM with values needed

Efrat Weiss
Yedioth AharPublished: 05.10.08, 21:46

The State of Israel needs a kippa-wearing prime minister, Safed's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu wrote in an article titled "A religious prime minister – it's possible" distributed at synagogues over the weekend.
Rabbi Eliyahu's article also addressed the latest investigation against the prime minister, noting that "it turns out that Olmert is more corrupt than we thought."
"So what shall we do? Elect another prime minister without faith? Another one without credibility? Another one without values?…when will we wake up and realize that we need a prime minister with a kippa?"
"We need a prime minister who acts based on genuine faith and values. We've had enough of prime ministers who bought us by just saying 'God willing' and sold out the Sinai…we certainly don't need a prime minister who establishes and then razes communities with the same determination and sensitivity," Eliyahu wrote.
"The last prime ministers proved that even if they have good intentions, they are able to sell off the country and Jerusalem in one deal, and they are able to put all of us in existential danger," he wrote.

'We must wake up'
Turning his attention to the prime minister's diplomatic moves, Eliyahu wrote: "Listen carefully, Olmert is talking about withdrawal from the Golan Heights and he can sign on it without batting an eyelash. If it saves him from the latest investigation, why not?"

"We must wake up. Not next time, this time! We need to define the objective…the objective is to bring a government of faith to the country," he wrote.
In recent years, Eliyahu has made headlines after making some controversial statements. About a month and a half ago he was slammed for calling for revenge attacks against Arabs in the wake of the massacre at Jerusalem's Mercaz Harav yeshiva. In the past, he said that apartments should not be sold or rented out to Arabs. Following the remark, he was charged with making racist statements.