Rabbis’ wives urge Israeli women not to mix with Arabs

A letter signed by the wives of 27 prominent Israeli rabbis urging Jewish women not to date or work with Arab men has drawn a furious reaction from politicians and religious leaders.

Israel's defence minister, Ehud Barak, said the petition was "part of a wave of racism, which threatens to carry Israeli society away to dark and dangerous places".

The letter follows the release of a document by dozens of rabbis this month which ruled that Israeli Jews should not let or sell their properties to Arabs. The ruling, signed by some of the most prominent religious leaders in the country, was condemned by the Israeli government, including the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. However, a poll published this week revealed significant support for the rabbis' position among the Israeli Jewish population.

The letter, by a group of influential wives from the Lehava organisation, states that Israeli Jewish girls should not mingle with gentiles. To that end, the "daughters of Israel" – as the letter refers to the young women – should also avoid places such as supermarkets and workplaces frequented by non-Jewish men.

"There are quite a few Arab workers who give themselves Hebrew names. Yusef turns into Yosef, Samir turns into Sami, and Awabad turns into Ami. They ask to be close to you, try to find favour with you, and give you all the attention in world … [but] the moment you are in their hands, in their village, under their control, everything changes," the letter states, according to translations published in the Israeli press.

Lehava has launched initiatives in the past to fight against the "assimilation" of Jews. It organised a demonstration this month in which hundreds of supporters protested against the presence of Arab citizens in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv.

Rabbi Mauricio Balter, the president of the Rabbinical Assembly of Masroti, the Conservative Judaism movement in Israel, condemned the letter, saying it was "contrary to Judaism" and showed a "touch of racism and xenophobia". He added: "Although in Judaism we promote marriage between Jews, we do not consider it a problem working with or having friends who are non-Jews." The conservative movement is the second-largest in world Judaism but represents only a minority of Jews living in Israel.

A poll published this week showed 44% of Israeli Jews support the rabbis' ruling this month banning the renting of apartments to non-Jews. The survey, by the Truman Institute of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah, also revealed that 48% opposed such a ban.

Israel's Arab minority makes up more than 20% of the country's population.