A prominent rabbi who compared the policies of the far-right Otzma Yehudit to those of Nazi Germany’s says he will not apologize for his remarks as demanded by the party to avoid a lawsuit.
In a letter sent through his lawyers, Rabbi Benny Lau says he “rejects all that was stated in your letter, including your demands for compensation and a public apology.”
“The rabbi’s statements are part of legitimate, important and necessary public discourse,” the letter says.
Lau’s attorneys say Otzma has no “legal or factual basis” to demand NIS 100,000 ($27,700) in damages and an apology from Lau.
In a Saturday sermon, Lau railed against the extremist party, saying Otzma’s policies were akin to Nazi Germany’s anti-Semitic Nuremberg Laws.
In response, Otzma candidate Itamar Ben Gvir threatened to sue Lau for defamation unless he apologized and paid the party NIS 100,000 in damages.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 25, 2019
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
