Bernie Sanders, Jewish Senate Colleagues Blast Netanyahu for Blocking Equality Among Israeli Jews

Sep 19, 2017 6:57 PM


Excerpts:

Seven Jewish senators, including former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, have expressed their “deep concern” to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about recent Israeli government decisions that “reject the equality of Judaism’s non-Orthodox movements.”

In a letter sent to Netanyahu on Monday, the senators refer to the government’s decision to suspend plans to create a new egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall, and to a new bill that would grant the Orthodox-run Chief Rabbinate a monopoly over conversions in Israel.

The seven Democratic senators are Ron Wyden (Oregon), Ben Cardin (Maryland), Dianne Feinstein (California), Al Franken (Minnesota), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Richard Blumenthal (Connecticut) and Sanders (Vermont).

The seven senators urged Netanyahu “to say publicly that your government will implements its full agreement with non-Orthodox movements and Women of the Wall on an egalitarian prayer space.”
Noting that the Western Wall is “a beloved space and a site of immense religious and historical significance," the senators said they were “deeply disappointed” by the decision to shelve the egalitarian prayer space plan.

read more: http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.813256