Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter sharply criticized remarks by Likud MK May Golan, women’s advancement and social equality minister, on Thursday. Her comments were directed at MK Gilad Kariv and Reform Judaism.
Earlier, following reports that Rafi Kedoshim had been appointed as her adviser, Golan lashed out at Kariv (Democrats): “What Rafi Kedoshim does, you won’t achieve in another 200 lifetimes while marching with the Women of the Wall or officiating dog weddings in your delusional synagogues,” she said.
Kedoshim, a member of the Herzliya city council, recently made remarks during a meeting of a Special Committee on the Rights of the Child. He said that the teens who killed pizza shop manager Yemanu Zelka on Independence Day “didn’t mean to kill him, just to stab him.” At the time, Yesh Atid MK Pnina Tamano-Shata accused him of trivializing the violence. Twenty years ago, Kedoshim served four prison sentences for acts of violence, kidnapping, and extortion.
Leiter slams May Golan's comments 'in the strongest terms possible'
Golan’s comments sparked a scourge of condemnations from Leiter and several other Israeli politicians.
Leiter, who describes himself as Orthodox, said Golan’s remarks were unacceptable and said he would meet Reform movement leaders to apologize on behalf of Israel.
Golan rejected Leiter’s criticism, saying she was glad the ambassador had time to respond to her comments but accused him of taking them out of context. She said her remarks were directed only at Kariv personally and not at any Jewish community.
The incident comes amid renewed debate in Israel over relations with non-Orthodox Jewish movements, including Reform and Conservative Judaism.
Kariv says remarks targeted Reform Jews worldwide
Kariv said Golan had not merely insulted him personally but had also defamed millions of Reform Jews in Israel and around the world. He described her remarks as antisemitic and accused the government of legitimizing hostility toward non-Orthodox Jewish streams.
“May Golan, a minister in Israel, is spreading ugly antisemitic libels against millions of Reform Jews in Israel and throughout the Jewish world,” he wrote in a post after the incident.
“This is the most anti-Zionist and antisemitic government in Israel’s history. They have turned fanaticism and bullying into a way of life. They spit in the face of anyone who holds beliefs different from their own.”
Anna Kislanski, CEO of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, also condemned Golan’s comments, saying they reflected ignorance, incitement, and contempt toward millions of Jews. She said the remarks harmed the strategic connection between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.