A well known Jewish extremist has called for a ban on Christmas in Israel, describing Christians as blood-sucking vampires. Bentzi Gopstein is the leader of the Lehava organisation, a Jewish far-right group which opposes any form of relationship between Jews and non-Jews. His comments have caused a stir in Israel, with activist groups calling on authorities to investigate him.
Gopstein wrote an article which was published last week on the ultra-orthodox website Kooker. He made a series of anti-Christian comments and decried what he claimed were attempts by the church to “destroy the Jewish people.”
“Christmas has no place in the Holy Land,” he wrote. “Let us remove the vampires before they once again drink our blood.”
The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism and the Coalition Against Racism are reported to have asked police and cybercrime officials to investigate him for his comments. In a statement, the groups said that his article violates laws prohibiting insults to religious feelings.
They referenced his branding of Christians as blood-sucking vampires, saying that “this statement was not made in a vacuum but in the context of many acts of violence against Christian clergy in recent years.”
Gopstein is often in the spotlight for his inflammatory rhetoric, as well as alleged extremist actions carried out by Lehava members, such as the torching of a multi-lingual school in 2014.
