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President Shimon Peres (Eyal Warshavsky)
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Last update - 17:53 19/10/2007
President Peres calls for more inclusive definition of Judaism
By Daphna Berman , Haaretz Correspondent
tags: Reform, Peres, British, Jews

President Shimon Peres called Thursday for a more inclusive definition of Judaism and said the Jewish people have the right to decide who is a rabbi. He made the comments in his first official meeting with representatives of the Reform movement since he assumed the post in July. The meeting yesterday with leaders of Britain's Reform movement came in the wake of last year's crisis after then president Moshe Katsav refused to use the title "rabbi" in addressing Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, which represents some 1.5 million Reform Jews in North America.

During the half-hour meeting at the President's Residence, Peres addressed delegation leader Rabbi Dr. Tony Bayfield as "rabbi," according to participants. Bayfield heads the Movement for Reform Judaism in the United Kingdom.

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If rabbis have a right to decide who is a Jew, the Jewish people have a right to decide who is a rabbi," Peres reportedly told the group. The president also said that he was "troubled" by attempts to narrowly define Jewishess. "We are a disappearing people," he said. "We are not the Chinese. There are only 14-15 million of us. We need to be more careful, generous and understanding."


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      1.   IT``S THE OTHER WAY AROUND:ONLY TRUE RABBIS DECIDE WHO`S A JEW))) 05:19  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 19/10/07
      2.   What? After decades of letting the 05:29  |  Mark Lincoln 19/10/07
      3.   LINCOLN, PERES` MENTOR BG RECOGNIZED ONLY ONE FORM OF JUDAISM.RE 06:41  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 19/10/07
      4.   Don`t Forget To Excommunicate Neturei Karta! 06:41  |  Yosemite 19/10/07
      5.   For Once I agree with Peres 07:00  |  ralphsrant1 19/10/07
      6.   Peres`s mistake 07:04  |  Reuven 19/10/07
      7.   The ambiguousness of religion 07:14  |  L A 19/10/07
      8.   No The Talmud Decides Who Is A Rabbi 07:17  |  Efox 19/10/07
      9.   what we are 07:30  |  raffaeleserafini 19/10/07
      10.   #2, Nasty Intermarriage Rates 07:56  |  Eli 19/10/07
      11.   Peres Says He Is Not A Jew 08:31  |  Ben Israel 19/10/07
      12.   Dangerous 08:38  |  dave 19/10/07
      13.   I feel sorry for those new people they wish to call Jews 09:04  |  Allon 19/10/07
      14.   Thank you Hashem for showing Peres the wisdom... 09:07  |  B`galil 19/10/07
      15.   Within 1000 Years 09:08  |  Sam 19/10/07
      16.   Rabbis & Governments Don`t Decide who is Jewish--Jewish Law Does! 09:23  |  Ira Piltz 19/10/07
      17.   A challenge to Mark Lincoln 09:26  |  Zvi 19/10/07
      18.   Hurray!! 09:27  |  TW 19/10/07
      19.   Arabised Peres has no say and no business in religious authority 09:34  |  Joseph E . 19/10/07
      20.   RELEASE US FROM THE STRANGLEHOLD 10:38  |  B.E.Liever 19/10/07
      21.   This is about money and power 10:43  |  The End Is Nigh 19/10/07
      22.   Politics, Religion and History 10:47  |  Yaakov Sullivan 19/10/07
      23.   I`m not getting overly excited 10:54  |  Avi Yerushalmi 19/10/07
      24.   Mental walls 11:01  |  Edith 19/10/07
      25.   Peres butt out. 11:10  |  Avraham 19/10/07
      26.   Odd 11:12  |  Edith 19/10/07
      27.   Doctors decide who is ill 11:13  |  Ilan 19/10/07
      28.   What Katsav actually said. 11:20  |  Joseph 19/10/07
      29.   #22 teabags on Shabbat 11:24  |  Edith 19/10/07
      30.   Zvi, excuse me, but I beg to differ #17 11:25  |  Yaakov Sullivan 19/10/07
      31.   39 Malachot, Edith the 39 malachot 11:42  |  Yaakov Sullivan 19/10/07
      32.   Thank you for that clarification, but.... #28 11:46  |  Yaakov Sullivan 19/10/07
      33.   Nobody decides who is a Jew 11:51  |  Convert 19/10/07
      34.   More On Peres` Denial Of Being A Jew 11:51  |  Ben Israel 19/10/07
      35.   Conversion is BS anyway 11:52  |  The End Is Nigh 19/10/07
      36.   OH so now Peres is a Rabbi stating Jewish law? 12:04  |  Steven 19/10/07
      37.   #27 Ian, you are right 12:11  |  Edith 19/10/07
      38.   Joseph in London on what Katsav actually said 12:17  |  sh 19/10/07
      39.   Why is everybody getting so excited? 12:58  |  Avi Yerushalmi 19/10/07
      40.   President Peres calls for more inclusive definition of Judaism 13:08  |  DM 19/10/07
      41.   Peres desperate attempt 13:24  |  Chris Linthwaite 19/10/07
      42.   A Jew through the circumcission of the Heart 13:28  |  Aliza 19/10/07
      43.   A SHOEMAKER SHOULD STICK TO HIS LAST 13:38  |  Ian 19/10/07
      44.   DM learn first speak after 13:42  |  Steven 19/10/07
      45.   Edith = ignorance 13:47  |  Steven 19/10/07
      46.   Edith 14:17  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/10/07
      47.   Aliza #42 14:20  |  The End Is Nigh 19/10/07
      48.   To Edith 14:28  |  Anon 19/10/07
      49.   A Jew trough the circumcision of the flesh 14:28  |  yehudi 19/10/07
      50.   Reform "Judaism" is not a Judaism 14:51  |  Gene 19/10/07
      51.   The gloom of being marginalized 14:51  |  Michael N 19/10/07
      52.   peres cant just cahnge history and tradition because he wants to 15:03  |  SHIMON 19/10/07
      53.   How about Peres including semitic monotheist Pals? 15:04  |  Michael 19/10/07
      54.   Its not a matter of definition, but of derekh eretz 15:19  |  David Hoffman 19/10/07
      55.   Reality vs. Halakha 16:40  |  Tosefta 19/10/07
      56.   Babs? You Want A Job? 16:46  |  Tony Anthony 19/10/07
      57.   Conversion in history 17:12  |  Tosefta 19/10/07
      58.   Think about this 17:13  |  I am JEWISH 19/10/07
      59.   Inclusive Judaism 17:17  |  I am JEWISH 19/10/07
      60.   Who is a Jew#17 17:34  |  HS 19/10/07
      61.   To Tosefta 17:40  |  Gene 19/10/07
      62.   # 55 Tosefta, perhaps if Israelis followed Shimon Peres 18:11  |  Smadar 19/10/07
      63.   Conversion in history 19:03  |  Tosefta 19/10/07
      64.   Consider this... 19:42  |  I am Jewish 19/10/07
      65.   Facts vs. wishes 19:55  |  Tosefta 19/10/07
      66.   Well Actually... This Is What`s Going To Happen 19:56  |  Yosemite 19/10/07
      67.   And The Invaders From The North? 20:17  |  Yosemite 19/10/07
      68.   Tosefta (2nd try) 20:21  |  danite 19/10/07
      69.   Good for Peres 21:09  |  Scrolls 19/10/07
      70.   DON"T MESS WITH G-D 21:14  |  douglas cohen 19/10/07
      71.   Michael `isn`t the Jewish divinity interested in non-Jews?` 22:52  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/10/07
      72.   The Jews have Spoken! 22:56  |  Nunie 19/10/07
      73.   What do you expect from a president to say when 23:49  |  Joseph E . 19/10/07
      74.   If I forget thee O Jerusalem 02:09  |  Mark 20/10/07
      75.   DONT DISTROY US 02:24  |  TOBIA 20/10/07
      76.   Peres has more widom in his little finger than... 02:36  |  B`Galil 20/10/07
      77.   TRUE RABBIS DECIDE WHO`S A JEW))) 03:30  |  Stephen Connor 20/10/07
      78.   Tosefta and Halakhic Immigration 03:37  |  Stephen Connor 20/10/07
      79.   Intermarriage 03:44  |  Stephen Connor 20/10/07
      80.   #65 Tosefta, interesting point you make and 05:47  |  Smadar 20/10/07
      81.   #79steve- The trouble is those beauties