Israel Minister Slapped Down For Saying Reform Jews Aren’t Jewish

Israel’s minister in charge of religious affairs has triggered controversy by suggesting that members of the world’s largest Jewish denomination aren’t really Jewish.

“The moment [a Reform Jew]doesn’t follow the Jewish religion, that’s a problem,” Religious Services Minister David Azoulay, a member of the Orthodox Mizrahi Shas party, told Israeli Army Radio on Tuesday. “I cannot say that he is Jewish. He is a Jew who has strayed.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu quickly rejected the remarks, saying they did not reflect the government’s position .... http://www.nbcnews.com