Albania: Chief rabbi seen leading Israeli army prayers in Gaza faces calls for removal
A video depicting Albania's chief rabbi, Yoel Kaplan, celebrating the destruction in Gaza and leading Israeli troops in prayer has prompted an angry backlash in the country.
Kaplan, who is also an Israeli officer, returned to Israel after 7 October following the Hamas assault on the south, which resulted in nearly 1,200 Israeli nationals and foreigners being killed and 251 people being captured and taken back to Gaza.
Since then, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel and over 94,000 wounded.
The video featuring Kaplan in Gaza was posted by a Jewish community website on Monday, but it is not exactly clear when it was taken.
Kaplan was appointed chief rabbi by the Albanian government in 2010, against the wishes of the country’s Jewish community.
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In a letter sent to The Jerusalem Post in 2011, members of Albania’s Jewish community declared that they refused to recognise Kaplan’s authority.
“We completely alienate ourselves from this illicit and incorrect act, which was carried out in total discordance to the historical and religious traditions and principles of our nation,” the letter read.
Of Albania's tiny population of just 150 Jews, 34 had signed the statement against Kaplan.
Calls for removal
Kaplan's critics now also include pro-Palestine campaigners, including the organisation Palestina e Lirë (Free Palestine).
Speaking to Middle East Eye, a spokesperson for the group expressed “deep indignation that the chief rabbi of Albania has donned the uniform of the Israeli army and is actively participating in the genocide against the Palestinian people”.
Campaigners within the movement called on the country’s prime minister, Edi Rama, to “immediately remove Kaplan from any religious duties toward the Jewish community in Albania and declare him persona non grata”.
Palestina e Lirë also called on Albania's Jewish community to join its condemnation of Kaplan.
“Such actions not only tarnish the position of a religious leader but also compromise the image of Albania, a country that has historically stood against oppression and in favour of human rights,” the spokesperson said.
“The chief rabbi’s actions come at a time when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Israel's continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful and must come to an end,” they added.
According to the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters, a New York-based Jewish movement, Kaplan was awarded the title of honorary ambassador by the Republic of Kosovo in 2020.
He also serves as the movement's representative to the Thessaloniki Jewish community in Greece.
Chabad Lubavitch is a Hasidic Jewish outreach organisation known for promoting Orthodox Jewish practices and education worldwide.
Before the war on Gaza, Kaplan was part of a search and rescue team sent by Israel to Turkey to help rescue people trapped under the rubble following a deadly earthquake that hit the Turkey-Syria border area in February 2023.
"Not only as a rabbi but also as a family member, I felt it was my duty to aid the Turkish people," he said at the time.
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