Chief rabbi of TZfat (Safed), Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, referred in a conversation with Israel National News to a request he received by the Shabak (Israel Security Agency) leading up to Ramadan and explained why the very preoccupation with this type of issue is looking to blame the victim.
First, Rabbi Eliyahu told of the answer he gave to the Shabak representative who called him and asked him to work to calm the people during Ramadan. "I answered him that I don't know of any character trait of the Jews to particularly act out during this time. I know that some of the Arabs celebrate the month of Ramadan with more acts of violence. What does this have to do with us? If you have extra manpower take care of the Arabs. What does this have to do with me? Do you want to accuse me of their rampage like back then in Lod? "
In his words: "He said to me, 'Why can't you just ask the Jews to behave?' "I said to him, 'What do you mean? You know there will be victims and you are already blaming the victim? I do not want to be a part of it. It is clear that Jews do nothing in the month of Ramadan. If anyone does anything in the month of Ramadan it is Arabs. So what are you talking about?'
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu links the request he received from the Shabak with a deeper and broader phenomenon. "Jews are to blame for epidemics in Europe, Jews are to blame for economic crises, Jews are to blame for Stalin coming to power, Jews are to blame for many things," Rabbi Eliyahu told Israel National News. ""This is a 2,000-year-old global occurrence and there are probably Jews who are adopting this agenda even today in the State of Israel."
"Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai adopted this despicable agenda and said in Operation Guardian Of the Walls that the blame for synagogues and cars being burned and Jews being murdered lies with the Jews. Ben-Gvir is to blame for everything. That is what he said," Rabbi Eliyahu added. " 'The Garinim Torani'im (religious Zionist communities) are to blame for the lynching of Jews by Arabs.' If this had been said by some delusional journalist from the Haaretz newspaper, fine, but the police commissioner stands and says these anti-Semitic ideas, that have seeped into the army and the police. This is of great concern to us. I'm not willing to be a partner in this."
"It is important to note that while people were burned alive in the cities the Shabak were searching for spray paint bottles," he said. "We love and respect the Shabak, but we respect the political department of the Shabak the same way that we respect the political department of the police. "