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U.S. Reform leader Rabbi Eric Yoffie. (Nathan Guttman)
Last update - 00:00 22/12/2007
Reform head: U.S. Jews must not oppose compromise on Jerusalem
By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Eric Yoffie 

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the leader of the U.S. Jewish Reform movement, lashed out at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations for reaffirming its support for a united Jerusalem, saying the U.S. Jewish community must not oppose Israeli compromise on the capital.

"The Jewish community in the U.S. cannot at this moment make things difficult for Israel and it mustn't tell the Israeli government not to compromise on the issue of Jerusalem," Yoffie said. "If there will be a concession at the end of the day, Israel will receive a tremendous benefit in return."

In an interview with Haaretz, Yoffie accused the powerful umbrella group of overwhelmingly reaffirming its support for "a united Jerusalem as Israel's eternal, sovereign capital" last Thursday in order to express criticism of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
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"The timing of the vote and the reaffirmation of the organization's known stance regarding Jerusalem at this time is a wrong message whose goal isn't [to show] concern for Jerusalem but to demonstrate dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Olmert," said Yoffie, who voted against the decision.

"I voted against because in my opinion the only reason to hold the vote was [to stage] a declarative show of opposition against Olmert," Yoffie said in an interview with Haaretz.

Seymour Reich, a former chairman of the Conference of Presidents who also took part in the vote, echoed Yoffie's sentiments against the move.

"The vote is a negative gesture aimed at Olmert and at the same time harms the conference's credibility," Reich said.

Malcolm Hoenlein, who serves as the executive vice chairman of the conference, said the vote was called to assuage the demands of a number of organizations which comprise the conference.

Hoenlein said the vote was a "symbolic" move meant to reiterate the conference's position on Jerusalem since the Six-Day War.

Yoffie is expected to arrive Sunday in Israel, where he will take part in an academic conference on Reform Judaism at Jerusalem's Van Leer Institute.

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      1.   Reform and Judaism 21:16  |  Dr. David Feigenbaum 22/12/07
      2.   slamming 21:26  |  colin 22/12/07
      3.   Hoenlein is Bibi`s Stooge 21:38  |  Insider 22/12/07
      4.   The Conference is correct, but obviously not binding 21:40  |  Joseph 22/12/07
      5.   Eric Lo Yoffie 21:58  |  Cunning Hand 22/12/07
      6.   what are the numbers? 22:11  |  outsider Jew 22/12/07
      7.   Why shouldn`t Israel`s paymasters decide policy? 22:20  |  Chanalau, Tova 22/12/07
      8.   Insider 22:50  |  Marc 22/12/07
      9.   opposition to olmert 00:35  |  marcel 23/12/07
      10.   Give me a Break 00:35  |  ralphsrant1 23/12/07
      11.   #8 Marc 00:37  |  Joe Levy 23/12/07
      12.   yoffie is a joke 01:35  |  dd 23/12/07
      13.   Reform head slams .............. 02:03  |  Sam Popack 23/12/07
      14.   Georgia on his mind , instead of Jerusalem 02:04  |  Joseph E . 23/12/07
      15.   Reform head`s criticism 03:02  |  Joseph 23/12/07
      16.   Reform 05:03  |  Sammy 23/12/07
      17.   dd is a joke 06:02  |  Ezra 23/12/07
      18.   Nor Rights For Jews True To Judaism 07:18  |  Raoul 23/12/07
      19.   #6 asks good questions 09:11  |  Insider 23/12/07
      20.   Rabbi Joffe 09:13  |  Edifice 23/12/07
      21.   Reform head: U.S. Jews must not oppose compromise on Jerusalem 09:56  |  Sam Smith 23/12/07
      22.   Only know how to divide. 12:25  |  David C. 23/12/07
      23.   Not all Jews have had their common sense overcome by greed 12:53  |  Natallie Durson 23/12/07
      24.   America is our Zion 13:12  |  Shmuel Saitowitz 23/12/07
      25.   Rabbi is right, but fails to warn of existential threat 13:15  |  Ivar 23/12/07
      26.   typical reform krap 13:25  |  eddie 23/12/07
      27.   American Jews trying to run Israel 14:44  |  joe 23/12/07
      28.   what version of the tanakh does rabbi yoffie read/believe ? 15:12  |  yahn goodey 23/12/07
      29.   #23 - I guess you`ve never heard of Temple Mount 15:23  |  Steve 23/12/07
      30.   Eric Yoffie 15:32  |  Manny 23/12/07
      31.   The "Conference" becoming more extreme since Taba 15:50  |  Tosefta 23/12/07
      32.   I humbly am antagonistic to Reform 15:51  |  Yechiel 23/12/07
      33.   Chutzpa! 16:13  |  Avraham 23/12/07
      34.   JERUSALEM - NO NEED TO WORRY 16:32  |  Jay A Friedman 23/12/07
      35.   Rabbi Supports Israeli Apartheid = Another CRAZY Religious leader 16:33  |  POP 23/12/07
      36.   Accentuating the positive 16:41  |  Norb 23/12/07
      37.   Don`t kill the messenger 16:43  |  Sidney 23/12/07
      38.   If I forget thee O Jerusalem 16:50  |  Jack 23/12/07
      39.   US Jews must not oppose compromise on Jerusalem 16:50  |  Sol Dauman 23/12/07
      40.   Rightwing extremist leaders rule in the US 17:08  |  Tosefta 23/12/07
      41.   Sounds like a Chelm Joke 17:14  |  Sammy 23/12/07
      42.   We Have A Right 17:33  |  Sam Weinstein 23/12/07
      43.   to Sam Smith 17:42  |  Wayne 23/12/07
      44.   Why divide Jerusalem 17:48  |  Yonatan 23/12/07
      45.   We don`t need autocratic "Pope Eric" to tell us what to think! 18:05  |  Dr. L. Brnd 23/12/07
      46.   Joseph # 15 what united Jerusalem 18:13  |  Nahman Umani 23/12/07
      47.   Yes, Jerusalem should be divided between Israel and 18:22  |  Avihu 23/12/07
      48.   Reform? Elitist-defeatist defines them 18:39  |  RAY 23/12/07
      49.   I`M TRYING VERY HARD NOT TO BE SO CYNICAL 18:44  |  indrajaya 23/12/07
      50.   Jews still hear the Lord not Reformers,check with your Doc.! 19:02  |  sam 23/12/07
      51.   #47 Avihu - I second that 19:06  |  Yonatan 23/12/07
      52.   Why did this Rabbi refuse to meet Rabbi Yosef? 19:37  |  Yechiel 23/12/07
      53.   Joffie and concessions 19:55  |  howiej 23/12/07
      54.   Yonatan, 51, not only we agree on the Jerusalem matter but we are 20:02  |  Avihu 23/12/07
      55.   Wayne #43 20:10  |  howiej 23/12/07
      56.   Unbeliever 20:22  |  DRS 23/12/07
      57.   #55 nowiej - You must spread the blame all around 21:58  |  Yonatan 23/12/07
      58.   #52 Yechiel - Rabbi Yosef? Hah! 22:01  |  Yonatan 23/12/07
      59.   REFORM RABBI 22:14  |  BARUCH HASHEM 23/12/07
      60.   How much the Rabbi thinks half Israel worth. 22:16  |  Akram Zekaria 23/12/07
      61.   CHANLAU TOVA 22:19  |  BARUCH AHSEM 23/12/07
      62.   LIBERAL REFORM V. PROGRESSIVE REALIST 00:53  |  Martin Schwartz 24/12/07
      63.   Reform Judiasm are a contradiction in terms! 02:02  |  Jeff 24/12/07
      64.   J. Post`s take on this story 02:58  |  David 24/12/07
      65.   "Israel will receive a tremendous benefit." (for dividing Jerusal 03:36  |  em) Shalom 24/12/07
      66.   reform Jewry in Israel 04:24  |  JoJo 24/12/07
      67.   Rabbi needs help! 05:00  |  Webster 24/12/07
      68.   Capital of "Palestine" Historical and current is Amman! 06:06  |  Mark Hamil 24/12/07
      69.   Any attempt to divide Jerusalem would be fascist. 06:44  |  Chaim 24/12/07
      70.   6,000,000 Jews are in Danger, American Jews Better Support Them 07:34  |  Efox 24/12/07
      71.   re: Ivar 07:37  |  Efox 24/12/07
      72.   re: indrajaya 07:41  |  Efox 24/12/07
      73.   Reform and Judaismn 08:52  |  The Man 24/12/07
      74.   Yoffie 10:12  |  Liora 24/12/07
      75.   Reform 10:28  |  Nira 24/12/07
      76.   United Jerusalem 16:01  |  Eneri 24/12/07
      77.   Yoffie is the leader of DEFORMED JEWS 22:16  |  Moshe Schwartz 24/12/07
      78.   Yoffie the Jerk 22:30  |  Steve Stein 24/12/07
      79.   Good points on Deformed Movement, Norb 22:36  |  Hymie Zoltsveis 24/12/07
      80.   LESS muslimes in Israel 22:44  |  Sam 24/12/07
      81.   Yoffie speaks for the communist left 22:59  |  Mordechai Schwartz 24/12/07
      82.   Rabbi Yoffie 23:28  |  Murray 24/12/07
      83.   68# I am your father! 00:21  |  Yechiel 25/12/07
      84.   "Rabbi" Yoffe Allegedly Molested Boy 00:27  |  Erick 25/12/07
      85.   Please help me here! 00:30  |  Jason 25/12/07
      86.   This rabbi insulted my homosexuality 00:33  |  Insulted in Jeruslm 25/12/07
      87.   Apparently "No" is Not An Option for Israel 07:09  |  Liz Wagner 26/12/07
      88.   Insulting Homosexuality 07:26  |  Liz Wagner 26/12/07
      89.   Follow Torah --NO Gay conduct 18:31  |  Yitzhak 29/12/07
      90.   Jerusalem 16:49  |  Frank 17/02/08
      91.   Ezra is a joke, just like dunce Yoffie 02:05  |  SLAVO 22/02/08
      92.   from a CUFI member 19:39  |  George Duraisingh 03/04/08
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