The far-right religious Netanyahu government is doing its best to “push away” liberal non-Orthodox American Jews from Israel, said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, leader of the U.S. Reform movement, on the Haaretz Podcast.

“We’re not going away. We’re actually leaning in,” he said. “You can’t trade in non‑Orthodox Jews for evangelical Christians. We’re stuck, you’re stuck with us, we’re stuck with you – we’re the Jewish people.” 

During the era of negotiations over the 2016 historic compromise between non-Orthodox movements and the Israeli government over an egalitarian plaza at the Western Wall for mixed-gender prayer, Jacobs said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – and the premier’s close advisers – were in regular contact.

Today, he said, “it has been years” since there has been a phone call – let alone a meeting – between the leader of the largest American Jewish membership organization and the Israeli leader – and, nearly a decade after the collapse of the compromise effort, the government is moving legislation through the Knesset that would not only forbid but criminalize egalitarian prayer, as well as women reading Torah and wearing traditionally masculine ritual garments, at the Western Wall. 

“It’s not just that you’re going to get hassled: You could literally spend seven years in jail,” said Jacobs, noting that additional proposed laws regarding the Law of Return and conversion, together with the Western Wall bill, “reflects a demonization – not just a difference, but a demonization – of non-Orthodox Jewry.”

On the podcast, Jacobs confronted the deep political challenges facing liberal and progressive American Jews regarding the “shockwaves” in the U.S.-Israel relationship, the spike in antisemitism since October 7 and Israel’s reaction to it.

“There's this notion I hear it all the time, particularly from officials of the Israeli government, which is: ‘They all hate us … Everybody hates Israel. Everybody hates the Jews. So it doesn't matter what we do here, [with] settler violence in the West Bank – if we eradicate that, they'd still hate us. And issues around pluralism and democracy don’t matter, because they'll always hate us.’ 

“I just would like to bring the view that says actually, it does matter.”

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The far-right religious Netanyahu government is doing its best to &ldquo;push away&rdquo; liberal non-Orthodox American Jews from Israel, said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, leader of the U.S. Reform movement, on the Haaretz Podcast.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re not going away. We&rsquo;re actually leaning in,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t trade in non‑Orthodox Jews for evangelical Christians. We&rsquo;re stuck, you&rsquo;re stuck with us, we&rsquo;re stuck with you &ndash; we&rsquo;re the Jewish people.&rdquo;&nbsp;
During the era of negotiations over the 2016 historic compromise between non-Orthodox movements and the Israeli government over an egalitarian plaza at the Western Wall for mixed-gender prayer, Jacobs said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu &ndash; and the premier&rsquo;s close advisers &ndash; were in regular contact.
Today, he said, &ldquo;it has been years&rdquo; since there has been a phone call &ndash; let alone a meeting &ndash; between the leader of the largest American Jewish membership organization and the Israeli leader &ndash; and, nearly a decade after the collapse of the compromise effort, the government is moving legislation through the Knesset that would not only forbid but criminalize egalitarian prayer, as well as women reading Torah and wearing traditionally masculine ritual garments, at the Western Wall.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not just that you&rsquo;re going to get hassled: You could literally spend seven years in jail,&rdquo; said Jacobs, noting that additional proposed laws regarding the Law of Return and conversion, together with the Western Wall bill, &ldquo;reflects a demonization &ndash; not just a difference, but a demonization &ndash; of non-Orthodox Jewry.&rdquo;
On the podcast, Jacobs confronted the deep political challenges facing liberal and progressive American Jews regarding the &ldquo;shockwaves&rdquo; in the U.S.-Israel relationship, the spike in antisemitism since October 7 and Israel&rsquo;s reaction to it.
&ldquo;There's this notion I hear it all the time, particularly from officials of the Israeli government, which is: &lsquo;They all hate us &hellip; Everybody hates Israel. Everybody hates the Jews. So it doesn't matter what we do here, [with] settler violence in the West Bank &ndash; if we eradicate that, they'd still hate us. And issues around pluralism and democracy don&rsquo;t matter, because they'll always hate us.&rsquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;I just would like to bring the view that says actually, it does matter.&rdquo;
Read more:
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-05-20/ty-article/.premium/bill-banning-egalitarian-prayer-at-western-wall-to-face-serious-legal-challenges/0000019e-4590-dab3-adfe-ddf4952e0000">Bill Banning Egalitarian Prayer at Western Wall Bound to Face Serious Legal Challenges, Warns Gov't Lawyer</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2026-05-28/ty-article-opinion/.premium/more-jail-time-for-worshippers-than-rapists-israel-mulls-an-evil-absurd-bill/0000019e-6aa6-d3a6-addf-efe661f50000">Op-ed by Women of the Wall's Anat Hoffman: Israeli MKs Mull an Evil and Absurd Bill That Promises More Jail Time for Worshippers Than Rapists</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-07-08/ty-article/.premium/rahm-emanuels-tough-love-wins-warm-welcome-in-tel-aviv/0000019f-4325-df3a-afbf-6f3dfdb70000">Rahm Emanuel's Tough Love Wins Warm Welcome in Tel Aviv</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/2026-07-07/ty-article/30-of-jewish-american-adults-say-israel-committed-genocide-in-gaza/0000019f-3cc8-d913-abff-bdf87b060000">30 Percent of Jewish American Adults Say Israel Committed Genocide in Gaza</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2026-05-21/ty-article/.premium/israels-u-s-envoy-ministers-verbal-attack-on-reform-mk-was-disgusting/0000019e-4b1d-d0ca-addf-7ffd98800000">Israel's U.S. Envoy Says Minister's Verbal Attack on Reform MK in Knesset Was 'Disgusting'</a>
<a href="https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2026-05-22/ty-article/.premium/the-raucous-and-roundabout-story-of-reform-judaism/0000019e-4494-d0ff-afbe-46d4f11c0000">The Raucous and Roundabout History of Reform Judaism</a>

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – a weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.

Your audio guide to Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.

Haaretz Podcast

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer. 

From Haaretz – Israel's oldest daily newspaper – the Haaretz weekly podcast in English on Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World, hosted by Allison Kaplan Sommer.