Reform Leader: ‘Be Strategic’ With Donations To Israel After Western Wall Debacle
Image by Union for Reform Judaism
By Ari Feldman June 30, 2017
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the head of the Union for Reform Judaism, suggested American Jews should use donations to Israel to push for the rights of all denominations in an interview with Times of Israel.
“It’s a moment to be smart and strategic about all the money we give to Israel, and to contribute to things that align with our values [and] encourage the seeds of pluralism,” said Jacobs.
“The government of Israel has to answer for our feeling of being pushed away,” he added.
Jacobs slammed Israel’s government for walking away from a deal to expand egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall. He also blasted a bill that would pull government recognition of all non-Orthodox conversions in Israel, although that shift was put on hold for six months.
Jacobs canceled a planned dinner with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in protest of the recent legislation.
He now appears to be raising the ante in their feud with the veiled threat to divert financial support.
“Jewish unity is not Jewish unanimity,” he said. “We’re not all the same, but we’re all created in the image of God and we’re all part of the Jewish people.”
Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
