Shas leader: Conservative Jews don't practice real Judaism

Haredi leaders rarely make political statements. Even R. Schach's comment about "rabbit eaters" was a reference to a passage in Rambam where he describes Aristotle, who was the epitome of good sense, telling his students "I am not Aristotle" as he gulps down a live rabbit. It was meant to describe the erstwhile idealists in the Left. Unless you knew the reference, of course, you would imagine it was "strange". More often than not, Haredi leaders start a conversation with Conservative leaders the way the ingenue society matron that just completed a Cordon Bleu cooking course trying to impress some important chef. The chef takes a very small forkful of the appetizer, demures, and tells her it "lacks something". Rabbi Ovadia Yosef isn't known for being polite. If you look "inside" his comments, you will discover there is something to what he says, but most of us are not learned enough to understand it. Frankly, most of us, even the vaguely learned Halachically Observant Jews couldnt reach R. Ovadia's toenails. The difference is that unlike, say Astrophysics, that we hold in reverence,contraversies, such as "is Pluto a planet?", we stand awe. In contrast, every Jew, no matter how ignorant they might be thinks they know something.

There is no word "Judaism" in the Torah. There are just levels of Torah observance.

which means, I suppose, that Israel is a zoo. When will zookeepers be led back to the caves they came from?

I don't like black fedoras that Haredim wear. I like the blue hat he wears it is more classy and I like the golden embroidery. It is certainly not as flamboyant as the catholic dress. It is kind of reserved. Ayotolahs look more black and white. Those sun glasses are sharp. He wrote a lot of books maybe you should read them before you make judgements from this goof ball paper

Look in their books. It is nothing new. THats one difference between conservative and orthodox.

It is obvious that Conservative Judaism does not practice Orthodox Judaism, or else there would be no need for the movement. And no one is saying anything bad about the people, just their ideas, so please do not attack Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. We may disagree with him and even if he is wrong he is a righteous man and there is no need for personal attacks.

there is only one thora given to us by G'd but there is no dati who does not sin and there is no hiloni who does not mitzwot. So who is realy dati ? only G'd will deside. Tha fact that soldiers are killed, if religious then perhaps cause some dati do not do the mitzwot from their heart like ordered in the Shma. And for our eyes hiloni soldiers may be in the eyes of G'd more religious than a dati who put tfelin all morning but his drive is hatred. Who knows? Thats up to G'd and not to us . At least the old chinees saying proves to be rigth: Books do'nt bring wisedom where there was no before.

Ovadia - why don't just go away - or at least shut up !!! Eine Schande for Israael !

I'm sorry to tell that your fascist and primitive "shas" movement has long become a burden and your ridiculous statements prove that you are long out of your mind (along with the statement that 6 million of Jews who died in the Holocaust were "sinner souls).

there are some jewish talibans out there.God helps us.

Who elected this guy to make the rules for the rest of us? Look at him in his silly costume! What's Jewish about that? He's going to tell the rest of us what is authentic Judaism when he is part of a fringe of fanatics that is akin to a Jewish Taliban?

Divide and Conquer! I'm sure Hezbollah and Hamas love to see these divisions amongst Jews and Israelis. It only weakens our unity and ability to protect Israel.

I dont care what Yosef thinks he has poven time and time again that he is corrupt. His pronouncements have no moral value whatsoever and he cannot judge me. I pray every day that his brand of Voodoo Judaism dies out as soon as possible.

Which is the difference between Ovadia Yossef mind and Nasrallah, and other islamic leader's mind? I see however a big difference: Ovadia Yossef speaks and actions may harm jewish people in iSrael for centuries!

Conservative Jews practise the very Judaism Yosef preaches. Yosef's gang calls it "show me (formerly sh'ma) the money", or in today's environmentally charged world "your green". Execrabble. Will the 3 weeks never end?

I'm a good conservative Jew . My children are good solid kids . I have never heared such a load of crap.

just a comment for you ovadia, god does not exist, and all the "sacred books" are false and ridiculous. so, you are talking nonsense, just like all the other religions of humanity.

His motives are expressed in the first line of this article, "Those who study in religious schools affiliated with Conservative Judaism do not practice Judaism, Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef has declared in a recent decree." In other words, don't give money to other organizations, only Shas can educate Jewish children (and adults) correctly.

If the Shas leadership considers secular Jews untrue, it should not take money from them, and secular Israel is stupid to be giving it. Israel should cease funding the parasites. Talk about biting the hand that feeds . . .Ouch!

Now watch the Lynch Mob of Tolerance demonstrate their Tolerance by Sharpening their Pitchforks for him.

It's the chosen's chosen's chosen (not that Haaretz would ever publish this)

I was brought up Conservative, but to tell you the truth I have no idea what Conservative Judaism stands for today. It seems like the basic philosophy is "everyone do what ever you want." I do not even recognize what passes for Conservative Judaism today.

People should stop acting like this was not expected. This man is certified CRAZY. He has said the people who died in the Holocaust "are reincarnates of sinners". What the hell did you all expect, for him to be sane?

what about Jayalim that observe [the laws of] the Torah, pray,and put on phylacteries every day.Many of them are killed in Sabbath.They offered their live.And because of that you the have chance of saying this crazy and insane sermon

Mr. O. Josef is an evil old man. His statement is stupid and is provokating hatred among jews. He should join Ahmedinadshad and Nasralla.

Then we wouldn't have a state, and our lives taken away by the genocidal Arab armies. You're a liability to the economy and literally a black hole. Those that say you're needed the most because without you we'd never win, they're the most dangerous who legitimize your self destruction type of living. Tal law must be abolished as a start.

Actually, Orhtodox Jews do not really believe the Torah, they made up a new law called the MIshnah, and replaced the Old testament with the "new". They managed to destroy the 2nd temple with their antics, and sadly, they are doing the same now. It was actually Rabbi Yosef who backed the Oslo talks, which was the surredner of Israel to its enemies.

It always amazes me that "leaders" like Rabbi Yosef will find ways to denigrate other Jews who don't see things their way. Ashkenazi Haredim trash Sephardi Haredim, ultra-Orthodox in general in Israel would rather see people be non-religious than Conservative. Reading accounts in the past of Haredim dumping soiled diapers on Conservative Jews at the Kotel might top it all. Who exactly determined that the traditions and interpretations stopped being valid at a certain point in Jewish history? Why, despite solid scholarly study and research, do Conservative Rabbis opinions have no weight because of the inflexibility and singular views of people like Yosef? The logical gymnastics used by people like Yosef are used in so many ways: Don't like the prosecution of Sholom Rubashkin in the US? Well, then say he's being persecuted by some vendatta, even though he clearly falsified information to banks and employed hundreds of illegal immigrants. Try to explain the deaths of kids years back in Petach Tikva? Well, that's because they opened movie theaters on Shabbat. Justify studying Torah as your "profession" and get a government subsidy while others go off to fight in the army? It's God's work... And on and on--these "sinat chinam" attacks feel eerily like those in other religions and are sickening. Sorry, Rabbi Yosef, not everyone ascribes to your view of Judaism, and you only shame yourself with hateful comments. If your followers aren't embarrassed by you, it must be because they haven't been encouraged to learn anything but "the world as defined by Shas."

I could not think of a more inappropriate time to make such a statement.We are in the midst of 'bein hamitzarim' and he couldn't wait until after Tisha B'av,to speak divrei d'lituria on a major part of Klal Yisroel. WE know that chazal tell us that the reason why Achav was successful was because there was no 'Divrei D'lituria' spoken in his time anf the reason why Shaul(David) did not receive the proper merit was because in their time there was D'ivrei D'lituria spoken Talmedie Chachamim 'Hizaharu B'divreichem. Let us all hope that we conduct the Milchemes Hashem in according with the proper Tachsesie Milchama" Let us all pray that we do not have to fast anymore this comming Tisha B'av.Let it become a True Moed as the Rambam predicts.

I am a Conservative Jew and a convert at that, I believe G-d brought me to my new faith which I hold strongly to, but I would never say to anyone that their faith is less than mine. What give this "Man" the right to decree that my faith is less than his, he is just a "man" not G-d. When are the poeple going to wake up to the fact that if people like him gain more power government in Israel will resemble the Taliban.

What other comment can we expect from Rabbi youssef Ovadia? I think that it is time for the extremes jews to accept juadism in all its expressions and all its diversity. the rabbanut is afraid to loose its power so it is a control addict. GET IT OUT OF POWER.

It is good to know that tolerance is alive and well within the heart of the rabbi.......we must thank him for his foresight in being able to tell parents of our soldiers that injuries or death in the service of our country is due to the failure of not being adherents to beliefs It is good to not have a separation of State and Religion Imagine what we would have to deal with freedom of thought and even laughter in the ancient streets of the city of golden light to his

another form of exclusion. the gov't is being held hostage by shas and haredim. they demand stipends for yeshiva students while we pay exhorbident taxes to support them. where is the stipends for university students. we need less parasites...pray less, work more..and include all jews...reform, conservative...equal rights for all that work and contribute to israeli society. no wonder the american jews can't tolerate israeli chaos in religion and government .

Nobody else is "as good as" him or his followers. Why do they cower behind those non-jews (according to HIM/THEM) skirts who were taught by asses when the bullets fly or feed with those non-jews or their asses teachers' taxes

Rav Ovadia and most of his followers are parasites living off the state. I'd rather be a "non-believer" conservative than a parasitic orthodox. When are they going to get real jobs and stop living off us? Including Yosef, who along with his family, haven't worked an honest day in their lives.

Once again Ovadia Yosef has, in the name of "unifying the Jewish people", spread division and derision as well as ignorant prejudices.

And that rabbi doesn't practice love thy ashkenazi brother.

Like certain Muslim clerics who say that only their form of Islam is true Islam? And what's the next step in this logic? That conservative "Jews" are not real Jews? Will the good rabbi declare them takfir? Time for Israel to junk proportional representation and send fringe parties like Shas back to the fringes of political life.

Who is a Jew, who is religious and who is not? I am an atheist. Sure as hell I'm not religious. But, I wonder, when did the Rabbi's God whisper in his ear that only the ultra ultras were worthy. Why must form always reduce substance to dust among the highly religious?

If he is referring to living off the dole, evading army service, corruption and scorn for others, then he guess he's right. The Haredim are a lot more religious.

The foundation of traditional Judaism is Torah min haShomayim or Torah as the Revealed and Eternal Law of G-d. Conservatives -- even ultra-right ones like Louis Jacobs -- by definition don't believe in Torah min haShomayim. Ovadia Yosef is saying nothing new. Long before JTS [Jewish Theological Cemetery] agreed to ordain gay and lesbian rabbis, the Conservatives had departed from the Torah camp.

he's an evil Jew, and ignorant!

The roots of the Conservative movement are in the Enlightenment when European Jews were told they could be part of the "rest of the world", if . . . and some Jewish leaders imagined that perhaps they looked again, they might find a way to become part that Enlightened world. Some of those leaders felt that the Revealed aspects of the Judaism, were, in fact, not Revealed, but Historical. That our Halachah was a tradition "from Sinai, but not "of Sinai. So that the rabbis changed the rules as historical circumstance changed. The consequence of that line of thinking was that if, the rabbis were "historical", then they could be institute changes as well, for the changing times. So it has been with that movement where the Halachic rules are treated in the context of "the world as a whole". That means, for instance a Rabinnic ruling on a medical issue, say, clinical death can be based on current medical research alone, whereas the Normtative Halachic takes the research into account, but the final decision is based on the Revealed Law as was given to Moses at Mt Sinai. Therein lies the difference. You can debate whether the Oral Law was, or was not, Revealed to the Moses at Mount Sinai, but to place a revisionist view of Jewish Tradition on the same footing like comparing Modern Dance to Classical Ballet.

This is a long-standing established fact that everyone is sadly aware of.