Rav Ovadia with Aryeh Deri
Rav Ovadia with Aryeh DeriIsrael news photo: Flash 90

A set of books of Jewish law written by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef was found burned outside an Or Yehuda synagogue Sunday morning. Police have opened an investigation, after the donor of the books filed a police complaint.

The set of the Yalkut Yosef books, written by Ovadia Yosef and his son Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, were found by several worshipers who had come to the synagogue for morning services. Members of the congregation buried the books, as is traditional for holy books that have been destroyed.

Attending the burial was Shas leader Aryeh Deri, who called the book burning “shocking, something that if it had happened abroad, the entire world would be in shock from the anti-Semitism.” In an interview with the Kikar Shabbat web site, Deri said “We came here to protest this act, and to give honor to the Torah. It's a shame that out disapproval of each other has come to this,” Deri said, although he gave no hint as to whom he thinks was behind the act. “We hope that G-d will restore peace to us,” he added.

The donor of the books, an officer in the IDF, expressed shock at the act and filed a police complaint.