Several major U.S. Orthodox Jewish figures this week slammed a leading Orthodox rabbi who called Israeli Arabs “enemies,” said stone-throwing Palestinians should be shot and that a contested Muslim holy place in Jerusalem should be physically moved.

Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, leader of an 800-member modern Orthodox synagogue in Teaneck, N.J., published a post Friday on his blog, “Dealing with Savages,” that focused on last week’s murders at a Jerusalem synagogue.

“The slaughter of Jews is incentivized in Arab society,” Pruzansky wrote. “Yet much of Israeli society clings to the illusion that ‘peace’ is possible for these savages.” The blog failedmessiah.com, which often serves as watchdog for Orthodox leaders, ran a cached version of the post.

Pruzansky removed the post over the weekend, telling the JTA news agency that he did so because of threats.

Pruzansky sits on the executive committee of the Rabbinical Council of America, the world’s largest body of modern Orthodox rabbis. He has long stirred controversy with his outspoken writings not only on Israel, but against President Obama, feminism and sexual abuse victims, who he says are morally obliged to keep quiet decades after their abuse if they did so when prosecution was still legally possible.

On Tuesday, the Orthodox Union, which is affiliated with the Rabbinical Council, issued a statement appearing to condemn Pruzansky — but not by name.

“We share in collective anguish as our rabbis and teachers, teenagers, innocent women and children, and infants are targeted by brutal terrorists. The world must recognize such acts of brutal savagery as nothing less than an ongoing terror campaign to oust the Jewish people from the Land of Israel,” the statement read. “At the same time, we cannot countenance a response to terror that resorts to wholesale demonization, advocates for the collective punishment of Israeli Arabs, or calls for the destruction or dismantling of Muslim holy places. Such rhetoric is anathema to the Jewish religious tradition and has no place in civil society. Such rhetoric is wrong and must be repudiated.”

Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, denounced Pruzansky’s post.

“This is outright racism and bigotry,” Foxman told the JTA. “We all feel the anguish and pain of the tragic loss, but our response isn’t death and destruction. Coming from a rabbinic authority, it’s just hideous.”

The JTA quoted a board member of the synagogue as saying Pruzansky has broad support there.

“Bnai Yeshurun is lucky to have a spiritual leader of Rabbi Pruzansky’s intellect, of his depth,” Stan Steinreich told the JTA. “Along with that comes a broad spectrum of opinion, and there will always be some things — as I think with any rabbi — where you sometimes agree and other times disagree.”

Failedmessiah, a blog popular among the Orthodox that is very critical of the right wing, challenged community leaders to push harder against Pruzansky.

“At what point does the RCA remove Pruzansky from its executive committee? When does it expel him entirely? How many more lines must he cross? And why is Congregation Bnai Yeshurun still a member of the OU even though its rabbi openly espouses racism and collective punishment (among many other very objectionable things) and it has done nothing to reprimand him?” the post Wednesday asked.