They don't pay tax, They don't send their children to the IDF, They are too comfortable in their suburban living rooms to make Aliyah. But they sure know how to give unsolicited advice to a democratically elected, sovereign nation. It must be a slow news day to print a piece of biased rubbish like this.

The only impact American Reform Jews could have on Israel's security is to destroy it, if Israel is dumb enough to seek their advice. Reform leaders are front and centre among those who still counsel Israel to appease our bloodthirsty enemies and make more concessions to them - despite the fact every single Israel concessions has been disastrous for Israel. Reform Jews helping Israel's security? Laughable.

life is short ....try to understand others ...judaism is flexible ....

is that what you call assimilated? don't be so narrow minded ....non religious jews I know support israel 100%

go join the Talibans , you will get along well with them

and I believe it is one of the big reasons why the Jewish community worldwide is in its present state.

All reform and 75% of conservative Jews don't care what will hapen to Israel. They major issue is abortions and homosexuality. Israel is not on agenda of reform and conservative Jews. Israel should ignore the leadership of those 2 movements who have more in common with Israeli enemies that Israeli supporters.

so why are reform and conservative shuls virtually empty barring a bnai mitzvah? It certainly isnt because of israeli religous policy -

Herzl endorsed Christianity as a religion for modern Jews, not a dumbed down Judaism.

This whole schism and alleged rift is overstated and much to do about nothing.

It doesn't matter which denomination U.S. Jews subscribe to since all fancy themselves Democrats and they voted for Obama. They are far left liberal who voted for Obama, in part, because he is black and they can not understand the world that Israel lives in. They are safe and happy, but would flee to Israel to escape fighting for the U.S. Israelis should not even concern themselves with todays American Jew. They will vote for Obama again and will continue to hold Israel in contempt

Much of the talkbacks are quite correct. The majority of younger Jews are actually post-Jewish Jews living with post-Christian gentiles. The intermarriage numbers obscure a much larger statistic...the number of Jews co-habiting with Gentile partners, whether straight or gay, and the number of Jews that are childless confirmed lifelong singles. The real question is what is Israel's place in a world where the fastest rising religious group is none-of-the-above? What will Israel's place be in an increasingly post-organized-religious world, where do-it-yourself-universalism is becoming the dominant spirit of the times...much to the dismay of organized-religious zealots of many pursuasions, including our own home grown kind, especially from Dixieland?

A house divided against itself can not stand. Now, not being a Deist, and looking from the outside in, your house is not only divided it is in a state of choas. There is the press and what it can report and what is being reported upon your streets, and many know what were talking about as it is being reported outside of Israel, in the foreign press. The Dreamers, Thinkers, Workers, and [NetCitizens] of the [21st] Century see a different world than that of those in power, they do not see a world without compromise, the see a new world of possibilies, not one of hard lines, but only of problems yet to be and can be solved with the tools of their generation. The Hard Liners of the [20th] Century days are numbered, its the time of the Dreamers, Thinkers, Workers, and [NetCitizens] of the [21st] Century, its their present and their future, look out from Easter/Passover/Spring of [2010 to 2011], their time has come. HERCULE TRIATHLON SAVINIEN

Blinkered enough to think that this is nonsense is living with his head in the sand - and thus exposing his real thinking parts.

~All Jews must be for Israel~ For the ones who are in the galut to preach, to those who are here is pure stupidity. A Rabbi in the US is not the equivalent of a street sweeper here, these two should shut up. It's that simple, what damn fools they are. But to all of you saying things about the female Rabbi, I will say this, long before Rabbinical Judaism, there was a Judge who ruled over Israel named Devorah, and a young girl named Yael, so just because this woman is an ass, I would not go around discounting women so quickly, a peoples greatest strength, can be found in their women. כֵּן יֹאבְדוּ כָל-אוֹיְבֶיךָ, יְהוָה וְאֹהֲבָיו, כְּצֵאת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בִּגְבֻרָתוֹ and while Jewish woman in the US are mostly useless, the women here are very powerful, wise, and really really smoking hot.

Pray tell us, have you visited Israel ?

I think Theodore Hertzls first idea to rid the world of antisemitism was to require all Jews to convert to Christianity.

They don't care. Grown fat, affluent, globalist, forgotten lessons of WW2, and any history pre-'82 Lebanon. They're too lazy to think past the spoon-fed propaganda directed at us by Labor since Oslo. You can do any kind of religious dance you want, it won't matter. What, we should bend over backwards so Josh and Debbie can gain acceptance for their non-Jewish fiance they met at UPenn? Sorry, Judaism isn't as shallow as many of its US adherents. You want to stray, dilute and seperate from the community and thousand year traditions? Go ahead. But don't expect the Israeli rabbinate nor government to give you a hechsher for it.

Are all these permitted under conservative and reformed movements? Sounds like Don Corleone running a mafioso organisation rather than a wannaby Jewish sect.......... As an Israeli, speaking for Israel; Scr*w you and your money!

...and by the way when you need american tzedekah $$, or US gov't $$$upport ....who you gonna call..... mea shearim....?

Jewish education, in Jewish day schools, in which all aspects of Judaism as a civilization of nearly 4,000 years is studied with love and care: Am Israel, Eretz Israel and Torat Israel (in the widest sense of the term) Israel can't do it for the Jews of America, as it can't do it for the Jews of Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Canada, France, Britain and other places. Israel can't make the "hors" drink if it refuses; if American materialism and consumer culture has become a more important value to Jews than their affinity with their own people, their historic homeland and with the texts that have sustained us, Jews, for thousands of years. It is truly up to the leadership of American Jews to choose which is more important and once they choose Israel - people, land, torah - they will begin to appreciate Israel's position with regard to its Muslim-Arab neighbors and with regard to Obama's "progressive" thought regarding Jews and Judaism.

I believe the reform leaders' argument that young american jews may stop activism on behalf of israel if they feel Israel is not a country for them too. It's a real and sad concern. I also believe 'a country for all jews' should include those original, unreformed orthodox jews. Do these jews also have rights and feelings? I see that it seems backwards that women cannot be rabbis, still if religious men want their service in the company of other men, you have no right to force your beliefs on them (re: women rabbis at the western wall). I'm sorry but this protest smells of self rightousness and wanting judaism to appear less backwards in front of non-jewish friends back home in the US. Think about it this way: American Avengalists do a lot of activism on behalf of Israel and support it being the land of the jews. Would they do less activism in the future unless we include baptism in our definition of conveting to the jewish faith?

.....and their sepharadic gang????? o my God!!!!! Is being a racist part of the deal in becoming a reform convert???? and this makes you a GOOD Jew????

I am a Zionist at heart. I have never, and will never be religious, however, I love Israel, I have Zionist values and I recognize that Israel is a Jewish state, which, of course, should have Jewish values too. But, that does not mean it needs to be a religious state. It should be for all jews, however they identify themselves as Jewish. That's the point of the creation of Israel- a place for all Jews to leave in peace with oneanother, without discrimination. Unfortunately, due to political factors, the Ultra-Orthodox are becoming more powerful and are thus becoming not just a drain on Israeli society (due to the fact most of them recieve welfare from the state, don't go to the army,) but are draging Israel back to the dark ages-to a religious-Taliban-like- state. What a shame!!!!

u r so right. but us jewish dollars don't hurt either.

You know, people from Israel come here and tell me they are Jews. They are, and should be Israeli FIRST. Being a Jew is a religion, not a nation, no matter how close the state and religion is, as I see it in Israel, a Big mistake. I too see a small group trying to impose their brand of religion on others, and this is in collusion with some people in the government. A shame. I am Canadian, and I am Catholic. Instead of running down Christianity---I would suggest --follow Christ. Since this is Easter, remember that Christ was of the Jewish religion. At his death, the Temple curtain was rent in two. Any convert to the Catholic Church who rejects Judaism, also rejects Christ.

There are very diferents approaches in the talkbacks-There are Orthodox, Consevatives, Reformists, and a lot more of points of view in it. There are some of them that are very disgusting too, i.e. the # 48, that seems like a carbon copy of a TALIBAN or SAUDI post, in spite that the poster incites the "slashing" of the women, shame on him, he seems like a NON JEW ! ! Despite the claims of the author of this article, or the issue that these claims are founded or not, I and my brothers jews living in the Galuth, here in Argentina, we wish to share with you all, our point of view regarding the problematic that this article puts into consideration. We make it clear that we are in touch, almost daily, via e-mail or phone with several relatives that are living in Eretz Israel, who are neither Orthodox, nor Conservatives, nor Reformist-Let's consider they as "Israelis Moderate Religious Jews". And, several of us, were visiting Eretz too, sharing the israeli life for a time. Our relatives living there, and us living in the Galuth, are realizing, that there is an alarming advance of the Ultra-Orthodox people over the Moderates Jews in Eretz Israel. (Remember the people throwing chairs against their brothers in the Kotel, and the Haredi riots near the Intel plant, etc. etc.) May be in the future, (Hashem forbid) our beloved State, will became in a kind of "Theocracy", like the Arabs States, or the Talibans that we strongly criticize. We stress that we are NOT talking to abandon the principles of our HOLY TORAH. We are talking that the State, as a democracy, has not have the rigth to impose the HALAJA forcefully to their citizens, because Israel was, is (And will be, Hashem willing) a multicultural Jewish State, with all the safeguards to assure the freedom of all the citizens. In our opinion, Israel must be open, (and must have an open mind too), to ALL the Jewish People of the world. This was the hope (Hatikvah) of our forefathers, Herzl, Ben-Gurion, Shamir, Golda Meir, etc. etc. We say to the People of Israel, DO NOT ALLOW TO CHANGE THIS HOLY HOPE. ISRAELI BROTHERS, HASHEM BLESS YOU ALL AM ISRAEL CHAI

The time to decide is NOW. Even the 78% of American Jews who FOOLISHLY voted for Buraq Hussein Obama. Do you support Obama and Hillary OR do you support Torah, G-d, and Israel. You cannot have both. Choose Obama and Hillary OR choose survival of Torah, Israel and the Jewish people. Nearly 80% of American Jews voted for the enemy Obama. About 80% of Egyptian Jews ignored Moses and G-d, and chose to stay in Egypt. The Jews of Egypt perished. The Obama-Jews will perish, as well, as Jews. Their grandchildren will NOT be Jews, and will NOT support Israel. It is time to choose----Obama or Torah.

Your remarks are a bit confusing to me. Your signature was NYC. Unless some startling news occurred, which I missed, the country you live in is led by President Obama; its supreme law is the U.S. constitution, not the Torah, Hillary Clinton is your Secretary of State. Your words would make more sense if your signature dateline were Jerusalem. As for me, I am an American, proud of President Obama, faults and all. Same for Secretary Clinton. I am quite happy to accept the U.S. Constitution as the underlying law of the land, instead of the Torah. I am proud to live in a country that emphasizes individual rights over tribal responsibilities. I am fine with having my dateline read USA. If my children evolve spiritually beyond Judaism, I am really ok with that too, and do not consider them lost to anything. Were the first Jews who evolved beyond their animistically spiritual ancestors, betrayers of their ancestors...or just the next step in an advancing culture? Thoughts???