Jerusalem – Israel’s minister for religious affairs has criticized Reform Judaism, saying he doesn’t consider members of the denomination to be Jews.
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David Azoulay of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party told Israel’s Army Radio Tuesday that these are “Jews who lost their way” and he hoped they would “return to the midst of Judaism according to Jewish law.”
The comments followed an Israeli Cabinet decision to reverse an initiative aimed at easing the conversion process to Judaism. It marked a blow to the previous government’s attempts to break the ultra-Orthodox monopoly in Israel and make Judaism more inclusive.
The more liberal Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism make up the largest denominations in the United States but they are mostly marginal in Israel, where religious life is dominated by a strict ultra-Orthodox establishment.
What is this all about? A jew who is not jewish? Clearly someone in the midst of his hate for the non-orthodox has become antisemitic himself.
Torah teaches us that a jew can make return. If Heavens forbid he wanted to be a christian, he could later reverse his mind and become a jew again.
A reform jew is a very stupid value system. Half of them are not even there by their own volition but only by family matter.
The problem is that as orthodox jews, we must make Kiruv and these reform and conservative jews should be part of our community awareness.
This is how Torah grows. This idea that they are not jewish is ridiculous.
There may be marital issues. There are clearly kosher issues. But in their neshama, they are born jewish and therefore they have a chaya and a yechida.
So this idea is arrogant and harmful. If Hashem sees us treat one another without blessings, our future is very poor.
This is just a mockery of Israel.
Let the reform jew have his bad day, but deal with him in prayer and conversation.
Be good and Torah can be good to you.
Disgusting.
Hmm…I’ve always had trouble with saying Jews aren’t Jews. Yes, they may not observe Halacha strictly, but I’m not so sure strict Halacha observance is the only test. I thought the contributions of genes from a Jewish mother was the litmus test. Would a teen who fell off the derech and decided to return to an observant life need to be converted to Judaism?
Unfortunately, the majority of reform “Jews” are either not Jewish – they have Jewish fathers but non-Jewish mothers, or are mamzairim, due to problems with gittin several generations back.
The mamzairim, of course, are Jewish. The others are only “Jewish” because the reform movement needed to pad its ranks, and has nothing against intermarriage.
Maybe he should spend less time in the Knesset and more time learning – the biggest Reform apikorus, as long as he/she was born to a Jewish mother, is Jewish.
Stuck in the Jeffrey Dahmer era and cannibalizing our own.
How horrible.
To think that a political party can fight for the voice of jewish life by removing the standing of the very people who want to grow as jews is ridiculous.
Reform Jews become Ba’al Teshuvahs. Are they the next person to not be jewish? We he be on the tube telling us we must convert back to Judaism and have another bris if we are not orthodox? Terrible. Chas V’Shalom.
The situation is clear. There is a hate movement in Israel. It hates the affluent, the designed, the friendly, the mannered and sometimes the yet to be orthodox.
And that is criminal.
Who are we going to use as our shepherd? Moses or Korach?
This is Leviticus thrown on the floor of hate and despair.
How horrible.
Mark this as the most arrogant story I have seen Since Donald Trump had breakfast with the Clintons.
Never Again.
#3 has a valid point A lot of these people have mothers who are not Jewish and the ones that are so-called converted warrant properly converted
I think we have to judge le’kaf zechus, in that the Rabbi didn’t mean they are not Jewish, since according to halacha, a Jew is always a Jew. It most likely was a slip of a tongue, and meant to say that they are “like” not Jewish. But the orthodox has to be more careful in addressing our brothers who aren’t as fortunate to be guiding their lifes al pi halacha. If we would have been born in their place, would we have done different, or maybe even worse? We did not create ourselves or our neshama. Everything we have is a matana from Hashem. We are all part of the the same source and must love all Jewish people, and wish they return, and we too, with all of our hearts to Hashem.
In other news, Moshiach still hasn’t come yet. Sinas chinam still present and accounted for.
I’m sure that if he clarified his statement, it would conform to Halacha. The problem here is this guy puts his foot in his mouth all the time and has no clue on how to communicate effectively.
You can’t make such blanket statements and not look foolish.
Reply to 1, 4 and others. Yes, if by coincidence their maternal line were all born Jewish (which is rare) or had kosher conversions (very rare) then yes, there’s that iota off chance that they’re Jewish. And there’s an iota off chance that I’m the Easter bunny. Doesn’t make it true!
Typical. Israel and Jews worldwide are being targeted and this shlumpf attacks fellow Jews who are not to his liking. Since the beginning of the Jewish civilization, there have been rifts, sects, groups, dynasties. It happens when a culture lasts for 3500 years. Do he think that Moshe was running in Sinai with a Polish stremel on? Not everyone is as frum as he, and there are those who think he is traif for wearing a suit and tie…
rabbis thru the ages have been fighting zedukin,baissusim, maskilim no different then the reform now.sine they permit intermaraige they destroy our whole future thats why they should not be recognized.
This is how David Azoulay starts the 3 weeks.
History doesn’t lie , there have always been several denominations of ”jews”since before the destruction of the jerusalem temple .Today the ”orthodox” have assumed the crown of judaism and wish to disenfranchise all other factions that call themselves ”jews
I don’t know who this “Rav” is, but I notice that he is not wearing a hat. His beard is not long. He has no noticeable long payos. Is he sure that HE is Jewish?
Sorry MK Yitzchak Herzog but if are not born by Jewish parents, just like you can’t become the prime minister without the process of election etc. the same way you can’t become a Jew without the process of giyur. you could become a Israeli by the process of getting a document from the government but not a Jew.
Idiots here quoting Torah that they never studied and know nothing about -just they love to refer to it when it suits them and belittle it likewise when it suits them. The fact is that Most reform Jews are actually not Jewish. Their mothers are Gentiles. Teshuva won’t help them unless they first convert properly according to Halacha. (And we are not looking for them to convert.) Anyway, Azoulay said nothing wrong because he is right to the point.
I have a feeling that this hateful and vile comment by MK Azulay will result in bad things happening to him, both politically and personally. You cannot publicly make such divisive comments and not pay a price with public opinion and in beis din shel maalah, where hopefully justice will be swift and harsh. We need achdus in EY, not such hyperbole.
Reform Jews should stop sending money to Israel. My Temple has donated millions and millions of dollars. I would rather it be donated to a cancer research facility.