Jerusalem ( CNN ) -- A letter from about 30 prominent rabbis ' wives was causing a stir in Israel Wednesday because it urges Israeli girls not to date Arabs . The open letter comes three weeks after the uproar caused by another letter , which was written by 50 state-appointed rabbis and told Jews not to rent or sell property to non-Jews . The latest missive , which was published by some websites and news outlets , says Arab men act polite around Jewish girls and `` act as if they really care about you , '' but it says that 's a ruse . The men , it says , even change their Arab names to Hebrew forms like Yossi and Ami in order to get close to the girls . `` This behavior is temporary , '' the letter says . `` As soon as you are in their hands , in their villages under their control , everything becomes different . You can ask dozens of girls who have been there . They will tell you it is all an act . `` As soon as you arrive at the village , your life will never be the same . The attention will be replaced with curses , beatings , and humiliations . Even if you want to leave the village it will be much harder . They wo n't let you , they will chase you , they wo n't let you come back . '' It urges Jewish girls not to go out with non-Jews or work in places that employ non-Jews . `` Your grandmothers never dreamt that their descendants would do something that will take the next generations of her family out of the Jewish people , '' it says . The letter was initiated by the head of Lehava , an extreme right-wing group that says it aims to prevent the `` assimilation of the Jewish people '' and works at `` saving Jewish girls from Arab villages . '' `` It 's known that girls who go out with Arabs are beaten , these girls are in danger . ... There is a violent social trend and everyone ignores it , '' said the head of the group , Anat Gopstein , in a radio interview Wednesday morning . The head of Israel 's Reform movement , Rabbi Gilad Kariv , harshly condemned the letter and said , `` Israeli society is falling into a deep , dark pit of racism and xenophobia , '' according to spokeswoman Yuli Goren . More than 30 female rabbis from the Reform movement published a counter-letter harshly condemning the one released Wednesday , Goren said . Kariv also called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Yaacov Neeman to speak out against it . Among the rabbis ' wives who signed the letter is Nitzchia Yossef , the daughter-in-law of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef , the spiritual leader of the ultra-orthodox Shas political party . Esther Lior , the wife of extreme right-wing Rabbi Dov Lior , was another signatory . Rabbi Yosef was one of the authors of the letter written earlier this month that urged Jews not to sell or rent property to non-Jews . It prompted widespread condemnation from politicians , human rights groups and leading rabbis in both Israel and the United States . The letter , which was distributed to synagogues and published in some religious newspapers , had warned that those who defied the religious ruling should be ostracized . It said if one apartment is taken by a non-Jew , it devalues all the neighbors ' apartments . More than 800 rabbis from around the world signed a petition against the letter , saying `` statements like these do great damage to our efforts to encourage people to love and support Israel . '' The petition said `` the attempt to root discriminatory policies based on religion or ethnicity in Torah is a painful distortion of our tradition . Am Yisrael ( the Jewish people ) knows the sting of discrimination , and we still bear the scars of hatred . When those who represent the official rabbinic leadership of the state of Israel express such positions , we are distressed by this ... desecration of God 's name . '' Nearly 1.5 million Arab residents live inside Israel , making up 23 % of the population . A poll published Tuesday by the Hebrew University in Jerusalem showed that 48 % of Israelis oppose the call to avoid renting or selling property to Arabs .
The letter is written by prominent rabbis ' wives . Comment: It follows another letter urging Jews not to sell or rent property to Arabs .