Top U.S. Reform Rabbi Has Chutzpah to Tell Israel: Freeze East Jerusalem Building

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eric-yoffieThe leading Reform rabbi in the United States on Thursday urged Israel to cease construction in East Jerusalem, saying the diplomatic row between Israel and the United States has made this a difficult time for American Jewry.

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, issued the call for a construction freeze during remarks to rabbis and members of URJ’s board of trustees.

“This has been a difficult and complicated time for us as American Jews,” said Yoffie. “We have a number of mandates at the moment: We proclaim our love for Israel in unmistakable terms, and we work to prevent the current situation from spiraling out of control and causing a deep rift between Israel and the United States.

“Current tensions are not about a two-state solution, which is accepted by Israel,” said Yoffie. “Nor are they simply about diplomatic courtesy. There is also a substantive question of great importance that needs to be addressed: Should Israel continue to build now in East Jerusalem? I believe that it should not.”

Yoffie went on to say that compromise is needed to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians, and that Israel will likely hold on to some settlement blocs in a final-status agreement.

He also said that the Union for Reform Judaism, like most American Jewish organizations, supports a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty.

“This means that we believe housing units constructed in Jerusalem by Israel are not settlements and they are not illegal,” Yoffie said. “But a great many things that are legal are not prudent or wise – and building in Arab sections of Jerusalem in the current political climate is one of those things.”

Yoffie asserted that Israel should not renounce the claim to all of Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital, or Israel’s right to build anywhere within Jerusalem’s borders.

But he said a temporary moratorium on construction in East Jerusalem would strengthen Israel’s relations with the U.S. and be greeted with enthusiasm by other allies angered by Israel’s plan, such as Canada.

A freeze “would demonstrate a firm commitment on Israel’s part to the American-sponsored peace negotiations; and it would, potentially, breathe life into those negotiations and turn the attention back to where it is most needed ? moving forward to a lasting, meaningful peace,” said Yoffie. “Nothing should divert us from this goal.”

{Haaretz/Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}


14 COMMENTS

  1. i would like to know his background did he wote for hussain obama. did this rabbi say to the USA not build did he also say to the nice arab world not to build.rabbi dont forget israel is a nation that paid a high price for Jerusalem with blood jordan lost to bad
    tell the rabbi and obama to drop DEAD and start building with foll force

  2. I dont know if anybody cares, but i really despise that “rabbi”, its 1 thing to be reform because you dont know better, so nu, feel bad, try to help them, their squandering their lives, but to actually be a rabbi, as in, to actively promote wasting ones life, that is despicable!!

  3. To tell the so called rabbi:
    Your words are sparkling and refreshing, much like a cup of Black Cherry Be’er Mayim Chaim. Furthermore, your spelling and use of caps are genius level. Have you ever had your self tested? And finally, your diction and thoughts are nothing short of brilliant. It is no exaggeration to say that you are a budding Mark Twain!!

  4. When Jews act like goyim they are more goyish than the goy. Reform ‘rabbi’ has no standing anywhere in yidishkeit. Only underscores how more and more irrelevant they are.

  5. this poor mistaken jew. he’s selling out because he didnt really have a normal jewish upbringing. this is the result of not doing the mitzva of “ve shinantam levanecha ve dibarta bam”. This guy is really lost from the Tribe of unzer yiddishe mishpacha. We do tikkun for all these guys by being mechonech our own yiddishe kinder.

  6. He may have a Jewish grandmother who is rolling over in her grave, and he may be a Jew, but Judaism is not his religion. Secular huamnism is his religion, with a smattering of Jewish shtick. No different than Messianic Jews, whose religion is Xtianity with a smattering of shtick.

  7. Imagine what would be the reactionif a propose housing development in oh let’s say Manhattan or the south Bronx but for demmograohic concerns No Jews could purchase an apartment?

    The young man pulling a sick prank by odering all balck people out of a wal mart is being charged with a hate crime. How can agreeing on any level to restrict Jewish construction or access in Israel be any less repugnat? any less racist?
    Shame on you “Rabbi” YOaffe SHAME ON YOU

  8. Number 9 great point you address, and so lets work this one out with a little bit of lumdis, the yiden who davened for 2000 years to return to yerushalyim may not build there thanks to the Obamarein doctirine, but anyone else is welcome to build in yerushalyim, and this is not racisim, I just dont get it, president Obama should be the first to acknowledge this due the color of his skin what he went through growing up, but hey when it comes to antisemitisim theres no logistics.

  9. About this reform rabbi, well what does anybody expect of him, he is a tinok shenishbu, and does he really understand what yerushalyim means for yiden? he has no idea and probably does not mention anywhere in his reform prayer about yerushalyim because a few generations ago it was probably already omitted from the reform jews prayer book, because its not politically correct.

  10. Why do we need to hear what a self-proclaimed proponent of kfira (and ENOUGH using the words “Rabbi” and “Judaism” in the same sentence as “Reform” – it is no more Judaism than any other avoda zara around) has to say?? What possible toelet can there be in broadcasting his words???

  11. #11 — The reform leaders are not tinok shenishba. (The followers are.) This, and all the reform and conservative leaders, are reshoyim.

  12. Number 10,

    Color of his skin? He is half white and has ancestors who came over on the Mayflower, just like all the rich WASPs/freemasons who run the show in this country. His father is Kenyan. His ancestors OWNED slaves, and he is NOT African American. He pulled the wool over the country’s eyes.

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