NEW YORK — The American Jewish Committee (AJC) fully shares the outrage of the Reform movement in response to the disparaging remarks made by Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin.
The controversy erupted after Levin declared that “Reform Jews in the U.S. are a dying world.”
“His words are both offensive and off-base,” said AJC Chief Executive Officer David Harris. “He owes a heartfelt apology to millions of Jews, who care deeply about the Jewish future and the Jewish state’s future.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu, condemning the tourism minister’s statement, said that “Reform and Conservative Jews are part and parcel of the Jewish people and should be treated as such.”
To date, however, Levin has refused to retract his irresponsible comments.
“A robust, engaged American (and global) Jewish community requires the individual freedom to express what it means to be a Jew,” Harris added. “Comments dismissive of Jews affirming their deeply-held connection to our heritage can only risk driving people away from the collective Jewish world — and that would be nothing short of tragic.”
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Bandler is director of media relations for the American Jewish Committee