In his opinion piece, “We Have Met the Enemy…” (July 2), Rabbi Gerald Skolnik is concerned about the anger he saw on display at the recently concluded World Zionist Congress. As we approach Tisha b’Av, he rightfully fears for sinat chinam — senseless divisive hatred that is traditionally blamed for the destruction of the Temple by the Romans. Yet he claims that the shenanigans at the Congress were in response to “non-Orthodox successes in passing resolutions relating to religious pluralism in Israel.”
This contrasts with what I heard from other delegates: the one contentious resolution allowed to pass by a full vote of the Congress (by a margin of 3-to-1) was not about religious pluralism, but rather endorsed a two-state solution and a freeze on settlement construction in the territories. The rightist-Orthodox bloc of delegates stormed the podium and disrupted the proceedings after this resolution was passed.
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