Taking part in a panel discussion at the Jewish Agency General Assembly Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan addressed representatives of the Reform Movement. Ben-Dahan told them “you wanted to be liberal but you went too far”.
During the event held on Thursday, 11 Kislev 5774, the deputy minister explained “Here we do not have separation of religion and state, rather religion is a part of our nation and therefore, efforts to draw a comparison to the United States on matters of religion are incorrect.”
He continued by explaining Ben-Gurion was not a member of a chareidi party, yet he wanted to create an atmosphere that would permit citizens to live together with the broadest common denominator, which is the Orthodox common denominator.
He concluded “I want to stress that the only place in the world where the Jewish People is not a minority is here, contrary to America where the Jews are a minority.”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
3 Responses
Talking to reform leaders is a waste of time, you might as well speak to a toad you’ll accomplish the same much
Ben-Dahan is wrong. Ben-Gurion wanted Charedim in general and Orthodox Jews to be a minority in Secular Zionist Israel. He’s rolling in his hellish grave now as he sees charedim have almost become a majority in Israel b”H. May Lapid harasha join him already.
If you don’t have a “separation” of religion and state, then you will have “Reform” rabbis in charge since Orthodox Jews are a minority. Already we have the government creating new Yom Tovim, and sanctioning those who don’t observe them. The government creates new halachos that are contrary to the Shulhan Arukh. The American “freedom of religion” which means “freedom from the government” should be our goal.
In America, it was the religious fanatics (particularly the Baptists and Evangelical Christians) who pushed through a separation of religion and state. The “establishment” at the time preferred a system of official churches whose ministers who paid for by the government, and who preached support for the party in power.