Tzipi Hotovely
Tzipi HotovelyLaura Ben David

Diaspora Affairs Minister Tzipi Hotovely met this past week with the President of the Union for Reform Judaism, Rick Jacobs.

Jacobs posted about the meeting on Twitter, writing, “Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet the newly appointed Israeli minister of diaspora affairs, Tzipi Hotovely at her office in Jerusalem. We had a frank and honest conversation about the current state of diaspora-Israel relations which needs serious improvement even healing.”

“I shared the strength and vitality of our North American Reform Movement and our strong commitment to Israel. She shared her desire to better understand our Movement. I invited her to come and visit our community and see for herself,” he added.

“It’s easy to spend time only with people who agree with us but the most critical work of leadership is often working with those who think and believe differently. We agreed that we share the urgent work of strengthening the Jewish people by building respect among our diverse communities,” concluded Jacobs.

In 2017, while serving as Deputy Foreign Minister, Hotovely caused an uproar among American Jewry after she said in an interview that there is growing tension between Israel and Diaspora Jewry, stemming from, she claimed, a lack of understanding regarding the complexities of the geopolitical situation.

She later clarified her remarks and explained that she did not mean to offend anyone and that American Jews are important to her.