Former Yesh Atid MK Dov Lipman spoke to Arutz Sheva on Thursday as he participated in an event ahead of the Tisha B'Av fast day of national mourning at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem.

The event, initiated by the Jewish People Policy Institute, included representatives of Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jewish streams in Israel for a session of joint Jewish learning.

Lipman noted that the destruction of the Second Temple - which Tisha B'Av mourns together with the destruction of the First Temple and several other national tragedies - took place due to "polarization and a lack of unity among the Jewish people."

"Here we had a learning session with Jews from all backgrounds teaching Torah, symbolizing that we can unite together, we can put aside things that we disagree about, we can unite around Torah," said Lipman.

He expressed his hopes that this form of unity can happen throughout the Jewish world, "and in that merit we'll have the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem."

The event was organized to assuage anger on the part of non-Orthodox streams in the US, after in an event several months ago President Reuven Rivlin refused to include members of the Conservative movement in a bar mitzvah ceremony for handicapped children held at the Presidential Residence.

Orthodox Jews who strictly adhere to the laws of the Torah view Reform and other non-Orthodox theologies as illegitimate, due to their departure from Jewish law and even rejection of the Divine nature of the Torah. 

As such, "conversions" carried out by non-Orthodox streams - including Reform - are not recognized by Orthodox Jews.