In israel, a politically powerful Jewish religious leader is trying to ______.

In Israel, a politically powerful Jewish religious leader is trying to ease public anger over statements he made Sunday. Rabbi Ovadier Useph has spoken about the six million Jews killed by German Nazis during World War II. He said the victims had possesed spirits of people who had lived and done evil at an earlier time. The Rabbi said the holocaust victims had been born to die for that past evil. Now Rabbi Useph says the media misunderstood his words. He says all the Jewish victims were holy and pure. Arabs have denounced Rabbi Useph for calling Palestinians "snakes" in his comments Sunday. Rabbi Useph is a spiritual leader of the Shas Party. The Party recently withdrew from Mr. Barak’s coalition government, saying he compromised too much with the Palestinians.