May Golan Is Picking the Wrong Fight

At a time when Jews around the world are dealing with rising antisemitism, increased security concerns, harassment on college campuses, and an explosion of anti-Jewish rhetoric online, Israeli minister May Golan apparently decided that one of her priorities should be insulting Reform Jews. Her comments directed at Reform rabbi and Knesset member Gilad Kariv weren’t merely offensive. They were politically foolish, strategically shortsighted, and completely disconnected from the challenges facing the Jewish people today.

The old “marrying dogs” slur directed at Reform Judaism is not a serious religious argument. It is not a thoughtful critique of theology. It is not an attempt to persuade anyone. It is the kind of cheap insult people use when they would rather mock than engage. You can disagree with Reform Judaism. Plenty of Jews do. Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, secular, and traditional Jews have been arguing with one another for generations. Debate is part of Jewish culture. Ridicule is not.

What makes Golan’s remarks especially baffling is that Reform Judaism is not some tiny fringe movement sitting on the margins of Jewish life. Reform Judaism is the largest organized Jewish movement in the Diaspora. Millions of Jews identify with Reform congregations or have family members, friends, rabbis, camps, youth programs, and community institutions connected to the movement. These are Jews raising Jewish children, celebrating Jewish holidays, volunteering in Jewish organizations, supporting Jewish schools, donating to Jewish causes, advocating for Israel, and helping ensure that Jewish life remains vibrant outside Israel.

In other words, when an Israeli politician publicly mocks Reform Jews, she is not insulting a handful of activists. She is insulting a huge segment of world Jewry. That may earn applause from a particular political audience, but it does nothing to strengthen the relationship between Israel and Diaspora communities. If anything, it deepens a feeling many Diaspora Jews already struggle with: the perception that some Israeli politicians see them as lesser Jews whose religious commitments are worthy of ridicule rather than respect.

The timing makes the whole thing even more frustrating. Antisemites do not care whether a Jew attends an Orthodox synagogue, a Reform temple, a Conservative congregation, or no congregation at all. They do not ask about denominational affiliation before vandalizing a synagogue or harassing a Jewish student. They do not distinguish between Jews who pray three times a day and Jews who show up only on the High Holidays. To people who hate Jews, we are all Jews. Yet somehow some Jewish leaders seem more interested in fighting fellow Jews than confronting those who openly spread antisemitism.

The saddest part is that you do not have to be Reform to recognize how damaging this kind of rhetoric is. Many Orthodox Jews disagree profoundly with Reform theology and would never dream of speaking this way about fellow Jews. Many Conservative Jews have their own disagreements with both movements while still understanding that mutual respect matters. Even secular Jews who rarely set foot in any synagogue can recognize that insulting millions of fellow Jews is a strange way to build Jewish unity.

Israel faces real challenges. The Jewish people face real challenges. Antisemitism is growing. Jewish literacy is declining in many communities. Young Jews are searching for meaning and connection. The relationship between Israel and parts of the Diaspora has become increasingly strained. Those are serious problems worthy of serious leadership.

If May Golan wants to debate Gilad Kariv’s views on religion and state, she should make her case. If she disagrees with the goals of Women of the Wall, she should explain why. If she believes Reform Judaism is mistaken on matters of theology or practice, she is free to argue her position. That is how democratic societies function.

But comparing fellow Jews and their synagogues to absurd caricatures is not leadership. It is not persuasion. It is not a defense of Judaism. It is simply an insult masquerading as an argument.

At a moment when the Jewish world needs more understanding across denominational lines, more respect for differing expressions of Jewish identity, and more focus on the threats we actually face, May Golan has chosen division instead. That may play well with a narrow political base. It does absolutely nothing to help the Jewish people.