Jerusalem – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the 11 Jewish victims of the Pittsburgh shooting attack were killed in a “synagogue,” taking a veiled swipe at the country’s ultra-Orthodox chief rabbi, who had refused to designate the Conservative Jewish congregation as such.
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The exchange exposed some of the recent strains between Israel and the more liberal Jewish Diaspora, even in the wake of the deadliest anti-Semitic attack against Jews in U.S. history.
The shooting has drawn fierce condemnations and calls for unity among Jews in Israel and around the world. Several ultra-Orthodox Israeli newspapers, however, refrained from calling Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue a Jewish place of worship since they don’t recognize non-Orthodox denominations, instead mostly referring to it as a “Jewish center.”
Similarly, Chief Rabbi David Lau told a local newspaper that the shooting attack was “unforgivable” but also referred to the Conservative synagogue merely as “a place with a profound Jewish flavor.”
In a tweet, Netanyahu seemed to rebuff him.
“Jews were killed in a synagogue. They were killed because they are Jews. The location was chosen because it is a synagogue. We must never forget that. We are one,” he wrote.
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox authorities maintain a strict monopoly over daily Jewish life in the Holy Land, including oversight of weddings, divorces, conversions and burials. They often question the faith and practices of the more liberal Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism, to which most American Jews belong.
Netanyahu’s coalition government relies on the support of key ultra-Orthodox parties and he has often had to capitulate to their demands on matters of religion and state. The ultra-Orthodox establishment views other strains of Judaism as too lax and is deeply opposed to interfaith marriage and the ordination of women and gays, while American Jews have increasingly felt that they haven’t been valued in Israel as equals despite their ardent backing and identification.
A government decision to scrap plans for a mixed-gender prayer area at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, and insults hurled at those pushing for it, has led American Jewish leaders to warn that it could undermine their long-standing political, financial and emotional support for Israel.
The recent passing of a controversial law enshrining the state’s Jewish character, which critics at home and abroad say has undercut Israel’s traditional democratic values, has also irked American Jews, who increasingly find themselves at odds with the government’s nationalist, religious and pro-settlement bent.
Yair Lapid, head of the centrist opposition Yesh Atid party, said the tragic shooting should serve as a reminder to “those who claim the Reform and the Conservative are not real Jews.” He called on the government to restore the mixed-gender prayer site and to recognize the conversions of all strains.
“The state of Israel bows its heads for their deaths, but this is not enough,” he said in parliament. “Not only in their deaths are they Jews like us, but in their lives. Not only in their deaths should the government respect them, but also in their lives.”
It just seems so petty. You’re not winning anyone over by behaving that way.
We have no religious leadership. Pettiness over semantics. The Nazis, be they past or now, kill us because are Jews. They don’t make the distinction of frum,
reform, or secular. These so called Orthodox Rabbis are more like wise guys instead of wisemen.
This is a much bigger problem we are facing than the Muslims. Muslims and Nazis cant hurt us when Hashem is with us. Remember the reason of the Churban
No one is looking to WIN anything here, it’s just a matter of getting the facts right,
Yea Bibi, in a synagogue that ur a stranger to. U cannot talk for Yidden as u desecrate H name with ur atheism. Not u. Ur not our representative. U have nothing w Jews. Not in Israel and NEVER in the Diaspora.
U don’t represent us and speak for us.
These Jews were slaughtered cuz theyre jews. No one should dispute that. But its not an argument that u can have a say over. U can rather argue about the rising of antisemitism due to the state of Israels provocative stances. Leave Jewish matters where they belong. Ur more versed in churches that in lehvavdil synagogues.
Bless the souls.
Well it might hold true as they were conservative jews but they were killed in spite of it. They were chosen to b killed BECAUSE they were jews.
But I wld suggest that Bibi shldnt b part of this argument as he doesn’t even hava grasp what a jew is anyway.
Yes! A Jew is a Jew and those who hate us don’t care what level of jewishness u are
But that doesn’t mk that place a synagogue
And as we know there was a bris going on at the time
Eliyahu hanavi who was pinchus who put his life in danger to let not desecrate G-D’s name , he attends every bris and when he sees the “toievau” that’s going on he does not remain silent he will act as he did 3500 years ago
what a disgraceful public comment and the highest level of a chilul hashem. the rabbi ‘should know better’ to avoid making one by deliberating if the ‘house of worship’ is a shul or not?? really??
did he take a yichus assessment of the Holocaust kedoshim? if they were frum, then they no shayla died al pi kiddush Hashem, but if not, then they didn’t??
shame on him! these were Jews, period, who were partaking in a Jewish ritual. period. Hashem yinkom damam
let the rabbi publicly denounce the molesters in his midst, the cheaters, the ganavim and the men who withhold gitten from their wives instead of what’s a ‘real shul’
This is a horrible article intended to be divisive and everyone falls right into it… Jews love Jews, and will do anything to help each other..That’s what matters..Whether or not they accept and/or approve of their affiliation and (lack of) level of observance is IRRELEVANT! Jews love Jews and stand by and with them…
Chief Rabbi David Lau, would do anything to help another Jew, regardless of their level of observance and affiliation!
Wow. This “debate” is really getting Klal Yisrael somewhere. Reb Moshe zt’l referred to other denomination leaders as “rabbis” instead of as Rabbanim. “Synagogue” instead of shul would be a similar flavor. If the goal is to put down, refusing to recognize that Jews gather to worship there accomplished the goal. If the goal is to differentiate, synagogue v. Shul could have been used and this chillul Hashem of Jews publicly squabbling could have been avoided.
We Frum Jews are getting nuttier by the day. Now we have so called chief Rabbi going off the deep end.
Here’s a diplomatic condolence post: If Satmar could figure it out, the two “Rabbis” from the Holy Land could have exerted a bit of seichel in honor of the kedoshim, HY”D and not stir up an uproar and a chilul Hashem.
BDE: The Satmar Community is expressing our sincere thoughts and prayers with the families of the #Pittsburgh Jewish community who are mourning the loss of so many slaughtered in a #massacre at the #PittsburghSynagogue by an act of #AntiSemitic #Hate towards the #Jewish people
A Gay couple’s twins bris.
Garry Schaer was invited but couldn’t make it.
A rainbow bris of twins adopted by a gay couple, the Torah reading of Sodom.
To the self righteous amaratzim commenting above that the bris was for a gay couples kids, 1) they sexuality of those in the congregation is irrelevant to the heinousness of the crime intended to be committed against Jews, 2) Gays shouldn’t perform mitzvos anymore? 3) Shulchan Aruch and Poskim (יו”ד ש”מ ס’ ה) bring down that even an apostate should be mourned for when they are murdered by gentiles. Taz, Shach, Beer Hetev, Maharsha say that their death is a kapara for all they’ve done, that Rabbeinu Gershom mourned for his son who converted to Christianity when he was killed.
Stop mocking the dead. Your shul is defiled daily when you talk in shul.
That there is even a debate as to whether this shooting took place in a Synagogue is yet another reason we are still in Galut.
There was a commentator on VIN, in an other article, who also criticized the victims, because they were conservative, and had the chutzpah to state that we should not say, BDE, for them. I knew that hatred would come out sooner or later. The hatred of conservative and reform Jews by some on this site, is no different than the hatred that the shooter had for all Jews!