“I should not have spoken out against the Reform Community as I did and as a result of my words, many were hurt. This was not my intention. I did not intend to offend any person or the Reform Movement. I take back my words and apologize to those offended” state MK (Yisrael Beitenu) David Rotem.
In response to the apology from the dati leumi MK, MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Rabbi Uri Maklev said “MK Rotem was compelled to apologize to the reformers. Never has the MK felt compelled to apologize for what he has said. It is damaging to democracy and the lawgiving immunity to MKs. The Reform Movement persecutes the Jewish People, destroying it. They are the enemy of the Jewish People and cause assimilation. They bribe politicians”.
A few days ago Rotem said “Reform Jews are not Jews” leading to an uproar among the Reform leaders in the USA. They sent a letter to Knesset Speaker Edelstein requesting that he remove Rotem from his post as chairman of the Knesset Law Committee.
On Sunday morning 9 Adar I 5774, at the start of a deliberation on a bill in Knesset, Rotem apologized.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
What’s the chiddush? Reform has decided a person is Jewish if his father is Jewish. Halacha goes by the mother. Therefore, many if not most Reform Jews really aren’t Jewish al pi halacha.
There was no reason for this spineless roten to apologize.
Reform is not Judaism.
The phony leaders of this phony “Reform” movement are desperate to sell their trash to the (religiously) uneducated and naive Jews and non-Jews alike. They lie to their unsuspecting followers and tell them that Reform is a “stream” of Judaism. What frauds!!
Reform is not Judaism.
Mr. Rotem was wrong in making such a statement. Why? Because SOME reform Jews are Jews. Now, if he had said, reform judaism is not Judaism, that would have been correct and a need to apologize would have been obviated.
Mr. Rotem was wrong in making such a statement. Why? Because SOME reform Jews are Jews. Now, if he had said, reform judaism is not Judaism, that would have been correct and a need to apologize would have been obviated. At the same time, he should not have apologized for offending the reform movement, as they deserve offending.
#4:
“Now, if he had said, reform judaism is not Judaism, that would have been correct”
That is exactly what he did say. The media perverted his words to satisfy their anti-observant agenda.
If his mother is jewish so is he …phisyically/Most reform, whatever, are not..but spiritually, different story