Israel – Reform Jewish leaders have fired back at Tourism Minister Yariv Levin following his refusal to retract on criticism he made of the movement last week.
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Chairman of the Reform movement in Israel, Rabbi Gilad Kariv, on Wednesday escalated the conflict between the movement and the Likud minister, who is firmly opposed to the construction of a new section of the Western Wall for pluralistic prayer.
Levin said in the aftermath of a vote on the pluralistic prayer site that it would not be needed in two or three more generations, because there would no longer be Reform Jews due to assimilation.
In a letter to Reform congregations in the US, Kariv called for the Jewish Agency and the Jewish Federations of North America, namely the United States, not to undertake any cooperation with Levin until he retracts his words
Levin was condemned for his stance by Bayit Yehudi chairman Naftali Bennett and Kulanu MK Michael Oren. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who heads Levin’s party, joined the chorus of condemnations last Wednesday.
The President of the Union for Reform Judaism in North America, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, said in response to Levin: “As long as he (Levin) thinks Diaspora Jewry has no right to voice an opinion on subjects such as the Western Wall, we will not give him a platform in the Jewish communities and organizations in the United States. Levin will not teach us what it means to support the State of Israel.”
Jacobs is an important and influential individual in the global reform community, which represents millions of Jews, and the development that he will refuse to meet with an Israeli minister is an unprecedented step in Israel’s relations with Diaspora Jewry.
Following the announcement, a meeting planned for early next month arranged by the Foreign Ministry between Levin and Reform groups from the United States was cancelled.
The truth hurts, very few people believe in the BS there is no middle ground, next to every temple is chabad
And why would temple goers need to pray at the kose?
isreal is being destroyed from with in ,by its own people , these women are so hateful and hate judasim as a whole , it is believed that most, if not all, women of the wall arent observant and dont adhere nor fullfill any other mitzvosser , and you got it ,all the need is talis n tefilin , gimmmie a break , its only to jab a religious heart out , so u tell me with all garbage goin on there u still wonder why terror exist huh , i dont !
The Kosel is an ORTHODOX place and one can’t adhere to the rules of this HOLY place, has no right going there. Next thing they’ll want is a section for gay and lesbs and dogs. Where does it end?
Like a chochom once said “there is no such thing as a refom Jew ,only reform rabbis .and their ignorant Jewish followers “
A frontal attack is necessary on the entire institutions of the Conservative and Reform movements just like they constantly are doing to the Charaidi and Orthodox. Who in the Frum world stands up to them???? Who in the Frum world has the money to put behind an educational effort necessary to teach bnei Yisroel the type of heres and destruction these other groups are doing to our existence??
I wonder how many of these tefillin donning young ladies put on tefillin every day in their homes?
This is the most ridiculous statement. There are millions of unaffiliated and secular Jews who know very little about their religion. For the last generation the Reform movement falsely claimed them as their members. The total participation of people at reform temples on Yom Kippur (the big day in their calendar) doesn’t reach 100,000.