Israel Minister Not Sorry for ‘Sinner’ Slur Against Reform Jews
Israel’s religious services minister said that his remarks about Reform Jews were taken out of context, but he did not apologize for their nature.
“Of course, all Jews, even though they sin, are Jews,” David Azoulay of the Sephardic Orthodox Shas party said Wednesday in a speech on the floor of the Knesset. “At the same time, it is with great pain that we view the damage caused by Reform Judaism, which has brought the greatest danger to the Jewish people, the danger of assimilation.”
His clarification came a day after he said that Reform Jews cannot be considered Jewish.
In the Knesset, he also said, “Interested parties exploited my statement to deepen the rift within the nation and increase the incitement.”
Azoulay, adding to his clarification, said, “No one has a monopoly for determining who is a better Jew. And yet, we see with great pain the danger of the Reformation in Judaism, which brought the greatest danger to the Jewish nation: assimilation.”
“We pray that sins will be purged from the land – sins, not sinners,” he added.
Azoulay made his original remarks in an interview with Army Radio.
“A Reform Jew, from the moment he stops following Jewish law, I cannot allow myself to say that he is a Jew,” he said. “These are Jews that have lost their way, and we must ensure that every Jew returns to the fold of Judaism, and accept everyone with love and joy.”
Last month, Azoulay in an interview also called Reform Jews “a disaster for the people of Israel.”
Jewish groups in the United States slammed Azoulay’s Army Radio remarks and expressed concern about a government minister making such statements. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also repudiated the remarks.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
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.
