Shas Rabbi: Russians Are Heretics, Reform Destroying Judaism

Rabbi Meir Mazuz, a prominent spiritual leader and Shas head, accused Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman and Reform Jews in a sermon to his own community on Saturday of attacking Jewish values.

"Liberman comes from Russia. In Russia there is no religion, there is nothing," he said during his weekly Saturday night sermon.

Liberman, who is associated with immigrants from the former Soviet Union, came to Israel from what is current-day Moldova.

"Russians are heretics... They blabber what they want. In Russian there are professors, but [the Russians] here know nothing. There [in Russia] they develop nuclear capabilities (gar'een), and here they sell seeds (gar'eenim). And where did that get them? They starved to death. Any person who says something gets sent to Siberia [and disappears] in darkness and despair," he said.

"But when you follow the Torah, when you honor the Torah and respect Am Yisrael, and in Russia [there are those] who do care about Am Yisrael. [Russian Chief Rabbi] Rabbi Berel Lazar did some very good things. He went to Dubai, brought some observant Jews, and for the first time he held a wedding in history a wedding was held in Dubai based on Halakha. And the Arabs say, 'How nice! Look at this nation!'"