After another discussion of the outline of the Western Wall rules, the fifth one drawn up by the Israeli Supreme Court since 2016, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Reform movement in North America, said in an interview with the Israeli "Maariv" newspaper that "the Western Wall is one of the holiest places for Jews, regardless of who they are, or which stream of Judaism. The Western Wall symbolizes our connection to our ancestors and the entire Jewish people."
Despite this, Jacobs emphasized that "the Reform movement, which includes over two million people in North America, does not pursue the construction of the Third Temple." In traditional Jewish culture and theology, the rebuilding of Solomon’s Temple is the ultimate goal, which by most accounts requires the coming of the Messiah to do so. While no major Jewish denomination is actively seeking to rid the Temple Mount of the Muslim presence, they all agree that the Temple ultimately must be rebuilt.
"a relationship based in no small measure on our shared values of democracy & human rights.'
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The Reform movemt of N. America had a big fallout with PM Benj. Netanyahu 5 yrs ago when he decided to suspend the so-called 'Western Wall deal' that was meant to provide the /11
The president of the movement explains that after the cancellation of the previous outline of the Western Wall, Reform Judaism felt betrayed. "The Western Wall so spiritually echoes the holiest site of the Jewish people and the Judaism that was here 2,000 years ago. It has now become a symbol of governmental discrimination against non-Orthodox Jews and against women who want to pray in accordance with their religious conscience."
Jacobs also added that "the coalition agreements include commitments to block the implementation of the Western Wall outline and in other ways to limit the growth and flourishing of non-Orthodox Judaism, including the cancellation of the Supreme Court's ruling regarding conversion. We expect the Prime Minister to ensure that non-Orthodox Jews feel safe at this holy site. We also hope that when there are so many growing divisions within the State of Israel and the Jewish people, it will be the Prime Minister who will find a way to support the Jews in the world. The failure to provide equal treatment to all Jews breeds increasing alienation from the religious establishment in Israel and the communities in the Diaspora of Israel itself.”
“Were we not in deep conversation? Were we not hearing loud, clear, public promises?" says Rabbi Rick Jacobs about Israel's foot-dragging on egalitarian prayer space at Western Wallhttps://t.co/wb5mXkJWYC
— Haaretz.com (@haaretzcom) February 3, 2022
At the same time, Jacobs emphasizes that despite the harsh allegations against the Israeli government, The Reform movement will continue to support the Zionist state. "We are not going anywhere. We will continue to support this country that we love, and the amazing and diverse people in it. We will appreciate it if the new government stops demonizing us and instead will find ways to work with us and make the millions of Jews who share our worldview feel welcome."
