Chief rabbi urges Netanyahu to act against US anti-Semitism

An Israeli chief rabbi is imploring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak up about a recent wave of anti-Semitism and Jewish cemetery vandalism in the United States.

Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef calls on Netanyahu and Israeli diplomats “not to be silent about the phenomenon of Jewish cemetery desecration.”

He adds: “We have to raise a very clear voice to work as much as possible to stop these anti-Semitic acts.”

Yosef speaks at a ceremony marking a deadly 1992 bombing at the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires.

Netanyahu is usually vocal against global anti-Semitism but issued a muted response to recent acts targeting US Jewish institutions. Critics in Israel say Netanyahu may be looking to protect his ally, US President Donald Trump, who is accused of stirring up xenophobia.

— AP