The following is an unedited statement from the RCA:
Rabbinical Council of America, the largest association representing Orthodox rabbis, reiterates the well-known position of halachic Judaism, that all Jews, regardless of their observance or belief, are full members of the Jewish people, and are our brothers and sisters. The issue is once more in the news cycle after Israel’s Religious Affairs Minister David Azoulay made an intemperate statement regarding Reform Jews, although from the context it seems clear that he meant to question the validity of their religious expression rather than their essential Jewishness.
Rabbi Leonard Matanky, president of the RCA, said, “The RCA, representing traditional standards of religious practice and definition of Jewishness, has well-known objections to some of the fundamental tenets of Reform Judaism. There is no question, however, that we certainly embrace all members of the Jewish community. This is clearly the undisputed position of Jewish law. In addition, our late teacher Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik spoke of a covenant of peoplehood that is defined by our shared history and common fate that binds together all Jews as one people. The ties that bind us to all other Jews are strong and eternal.”
Rabbi Mark Dratch, Executive Vice President of the RCA, stated, “We fear that Minister Azoulay’s comments will hamper the efforts we all support to bring all Jews closer to their religious legacy, and alienate many with whom we work daily to strengthen both the State of Israel and our own community.”
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12 Responses
Hieliga bashefer were is the chasam shofer ztz”l and all our big gedoilem to fight for us like they did in that years!!!!! Gavald it’s burning a fire of modernization and reform…… they are sometimes not very far from each other heshem help us!!!!!
1. While saying the “Reform Jews” aren’t Jews is debateable, saying they all are is very dubious. The intermarriage rate among non-frum Jews has always been high, and it is clear that “Reform” conversions (which usually do not involve a mikva, and never require the “convert” to accept the idea of doing mitsvos) are a nullity. After 150 years, perhaps eight generations, a very large percentage of Reform Jews are definitely goyim.
2. While by halacha being Jewish is determined solely by yichus, we tend to regard adherents of other religions to be non-Jewish even if their maternal ancestry is Jewish. Thus we regard the Palestinians as mamash goyim even though DNA research suggests that when Eretz Yisrael was occupied in the past, the occupiers were male and they produced children from local women (often enslaved), and those women were likely to be Jewish.
3. In terms of “religion”, Reform Judaism is probably as closely related to Judaism as Christianity and Islam. Indeed, in the core beliefs (acceptance of the existence of a creator and ruler of the world), Christianity and Islam are clearly closer to Judaism than “Reform.”
Between patrilineal descent and invalid conversions, it’s likely that only about half of Reform “Jews” are actually Jewish, so in essence, the cabinet minster was correct.
The RCA is an also-ran and not even the Reform take them seriously.
Do they include the netura karte? because if they don’t then this declaration has no value.
they are jews but not siblings ;
Re comments 2 through 5: You folks are missing the point. Hashem makes Jews, not gedolim or rabbinical councils. That is the point that the RCA was making. Yes, some people who are members of Reform Jewish congregations may not be Jewish, but only because their mothers are not Jewish, not because they smoke on Yom Kippur, drive on Shabbos, eat Oscar Mayer wieners, attend friends’ weddings in churches, marry gentiles, wear white pants with little green whales on them, or are descended from unconverted woman converts.
That goofball Religious Affairs minister in the Israeli government is halachically wrong, and more Orthodox rabbinical counsels should say so.
This question has been answered by all Gedolim of the past & present, THOSE BORN OF A JEWISH MOTHER ARE JEWS!!!!
We are not talking about converts, intermarriage (if mom is Jew = Jewish children). There are NONjews within all sects of Judaism…. If mom is NOT a Jew.
This is not connected to observances level, what schools children attend, whether they are soldiers, yeshiva students, zionists, atheists, or thiefs. Mom is JEWISH children are Jews..
‘Christianity and Islam are clearly closer to Judaism than “Reform.” ‘
Actually Sunni Islam is very similar to Rabbinic (Orthodox) Judaism in most respects. Reform Judaism is more similar to Unitarian Christianity, but not normative Trinitarian Christianity.
“That goofball Religious Affairs minister in the Israeli government is halachically wrong ”
Not the only thing on which he is halachically wrong. But since he is charedi he is permitted to get away with overturning halachah.
Rebbe Yid-
I would suggest that a lot more than half are goyim gemurim. You don’t know how bad the intermarriage rate is, and it is totally unchecked.
Conservative is not too much different. They mask the issue with their over abundance of false conversions.
I think the point the religious affairs minister was trying to make is that in most matters of halacha they do not have the halachic status of Jews. This is of course true but might not have been the wisest thing to say in this PC world, which is why the RCA released this carefully worded response saying that they are Jews Which is also true of course but doesn’t contradict what he said.
….and water flows downhill. Why do we need to proclaim the obvious? I’m sure my esteemed colleagues have better things to do…