Rabbi Shaul Elyahu, a candidate to the highest clerical post in Israel (that of chief Rabbi) and the son of Israel?s ex-chief Rabbi Mordechai Elyaho who is currently serving in Safad, in north Israel, advices his followers to burn any copy of the New Testament that they put a hand at it ? and to set fire also to the Old Testament if it is attached to it. Rabbi Elyahu issued this Rabbinical order on request of a member of his flock who received a copy of the Gospel from some Christian missionaries. The teachings of Elyaho were distributed to his followers in the northern town of Safad printed on the front page of the commercial regional weekly ? Ovda? distributed in Nazareth and all Galilee.

The Rabbinical teachings are based on the following argument: ?no place to learn this material (the Gospel). Certainly not at this time when Christianity proved to be bankrupt, and its assumptions based on a lie. The basis of Christianity lay on their belief that God dumped Israel from being the chosen people to teach the world and chosen them. And that Jews were destined to suffer forever?.

Rabbi Shaul Elyahu, blames the Gospel of causing persecution atrocities against the Jews . He advices his followers to burn the books inside their homes and in front their children so they ?may learn the lesson of how to deal with such an anathema if it will ever come to their hands?, but not in public since such an act may ?provoke the evil, that may be able to harm? and bring ?shaky and doubtful Jews? to protest against the acts of the ?proud? ones?.

On the same front page of ?Ovda? its editors published a picture of a crucifix with the face of the crucified blurred. The text next to the photograph explains that an anti-religious group distributes this picture of the Lubabcher Hasidic Rabbi (a New Yorker Rabbi who died few years ago and left a wide public of admirers who believe in him as a Jewish Messiah). The weekly editors believe that distributing this picture is meant to desecrate the honour of the dead Rabbi by comparing him to Jesus Christ.