"Justify My Love" received a remix titled "The Beast Within", and was included on some versions of the single. Musically influenced by Eastern music, the remix featured only the chorus and certain lines of the original song, as most of the verses were replaced by passages from the Book of Revelation from the Bible. At the time, Madonna told The Village Voice that "the beast within" was Saddam Hussein and that the mix was inspired by "the impending war in the Middle East". About a third of the way into the six-minute song, Madonna reads the line "I know your tribulation and your poverty and the slander of those who say that they are Jews, but they are not. They are a Synagogue of Satan", which was deemed anti-semitic by some Jewish organizations. According to Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, "When we saw those lyrics the alarm bell went off", as "the impact of having America's leading cultural icon say those lyrics can give a powerful tool to bigots". He also commented, "Anti-Semitism is a real problem in America today and an entertainer as big of a blockbuster as Madonna should show some responsibility to such social issues." Cooper sent a letter to the singer's management, and initially asked for the line to be removed from the song. Madonna was reportedly shocked by the controversy, calling the accusations "ridiculous" and stating: "People can say I am an exhibitionist, but no one can ever accuse me of being a racist". She then elaborated that it was "a commentary on evil in general": "The song is, after all, about love." The rabbi replied that she responded quickly to the issue, and was relieved that she did so.
