Jerusalem – Israeli diplomats in North America rejected a talking point handed down to them from Jerusalem, which they told an Israeli daily blames liberal Jews for the Western Wall controversy.
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The top diplomats refused to repeat the narrative that Jonathan Shechter, a top adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, handed down to them earlier this week in telephone conversations about the crisis in relations between the government and leaders of the Reform and other liberal Jewish denominations in the United States, Maariv reported Friday.
The Prime Minister’s Office flatly denied the report in a statement to JTA, saying that “the conversation did not occur as depicted in the article.”
The crisis between the Israeli government and diaspora groups erupted following the Cabinet’s decision Sunday to suspend the implementation of a compromise on the contested issue of egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall plaza. Under the compromise, the government had voted to expand the southern section of the holy site, which is used for egalitarian prayer, open an entrance to it from the main Western Wall plaza and appoint an interdenominational commission to oversee it.
Run by haredi Orthodox rabbis, the main plaza of the Western Wall features separate spaces for men and women. In Reform and Conservative congregations, prayers are held conjointly.
Schechter’s directive was given orally, according to the Maariv report, which did not detail the language that Shechter had reportedly asked the diplomats to use. One ambassador reportedly said he would comply with the directive only if Jerusalem transmits the talking point in writing.
A diplomat who was not named in the Maariv article told the newspaper: “It defies belief that after everything that’s happened, the prime minister’s staff are seeking to blame U.S. Jews, who were deeply offended by the government decisions, for the situation.”
In fending off scathing criticism by many American Jewish organizations and individuals over the suspension, an Israeli government official downplayed the move’s significance, underlining the fact that anyone who wishes to pray according to Conservative or Reform custom is able to do so today at the Western Wall regardless of the compromise.
The Kotel issue is not a ‘crisis’, no lives are at stake. There are numerous photos since the 1890’s showing men and women davening together at the Wall. The issue is due to the Charedi theocracy trying to show their authority at public holy sites, and showing their medieval disrespect and intolerance of women at every turn.
Ridiculous how American Reform “Jews” (many of whom, including their “Rabbis”, aren’t even halachically Jewish) think they have the authority to pressure Israel’s Jews on this matter. They’re worse than the eirev rav.
I was impressed by Prime Minister Netanyahu all these year. However, now I am starting to have second thoughts. He looks like he would sell his mother just to stay in power or as he is doing now – insult 80% of American Jews who are the main supporters of Israel financially.
Liberal Jews are cynically tryimg to implement their theology at rhe kotel, judaism’s holiest site . i say “cynically” bc their historical view of the beit hamikdosh was nothing more than a glorified “butcher shop”.
That discription was used by a prominent liberal rabbi in an opinion piece in liberal jeiwsh paper Post and Opinion. He explained why he believed the whole of east jerusalem, the temple moint and the kotel, should all go to the arabs in exchange for peace. His argument: Why should we hold onto a hitorical site that has absolitely no meaning to the modern liberal jew. To him and his ilk, rhe temple reprwsented what they consider a barbaric past of rituall practices that have no place or meaning for the modern Jew.
The liberal leadership is only interested in culural assimilation. The push for the kotel is a ploy to gain notoriety to their constituents and to gain some standing and prominence on Israel and the Jewiahh world , bc besides rampant assimation and imtermarriage, thwy have nothing going on
It’s the american jews who created this new religion called reform-conservative judaism.There’s only one judaism, all the other so called -branches cant have that name when they deny the g-d who created the world and chose the people of israel to be his, or follow the commandments of the torah.In hungary they were known as ‘neologs ‘ and were recognized by the govt. as such.
Why do they demand a place at the kotel today, when since their beginning they refused to have the temple of jerusalem or jerusalem in their prayer books .
The man on the left looks like Yankel Litzman.
If the non Frum leit started to boycott giving donations to the Yeshivas, the Yeshivas would go belly up.
Israel is very strong economically they can survive today without the money of the reform and conservative community
I cannot call all of them Jew’s as unfortunately many are not halachic jews. We do not reject halachic jews.I have alot of experience about the issue. In the 1980s I protested reform and conservative conversions being done in the Orthodox mikva in Chicago. if you google Elchonon Ebert you will find an archived article from the Chicago tribune .
The supposedly democratic liberal clergy of the reform had me arrested and jailed bfor disturbing the peace because I was using a megaphone to tell the converts they were not halachiclly Jewish. Unfortunately the yeshivishh unbelievably backed the policy of allowing this travesty of allowing the orthodox mikva for fraudulent conversions. It was big funds for the mikva 200 dollars per conversion funding the mikva allowing the community to donate more to the yeshivas .Rav Aron Solovechik zl was outspoken against the policy. He was ignored by the more right wing roshei yeshiva. This despite the fact that that my Rosh yeshiva Rav Samuel Berenbaum zl explicitly told me to continue protesting.He was ignored. So when the yeshivish allow travesty in their own backyard it leaves repercussion it also radiates waves unfortunately negative waves in Klan yisroel I’ll just close with a thought I once asked Rav Berenbaum zl what are yeshiva students doing to help non frum Jew’s.He answered me that learning Torah is like throwing a big rock in the middle of a lake the waves radiate all the way to the shore
Vice versa policies that strengthens reform shenanigans radiate through out Klal yisroel.The policy of allowing reform clergy to rent the orthodox mikva is still in place.
Ed
on giving much thought to the subject ,it took several hundred years for the followers of ‘that man” to evolve into what they are known as today.It wouldn’t surprise me if in the future we will see the emergence of another religion started in america based on judaism but it is something else.
since when does a poisek pasken from a piciture?