(JTA) — The Knesset Ethics Committee reprimanded a United Torah Judaism lawmaker for saying that members of a group that holds women’s prayer services at the Western Wall should be “thrown to the dogs.”
Meir Porush, the deputy education minister and a member of the haredi Orthodox party, was reprimanded Tuesday for the remark, which he made during a Knesset speech in February, The Jerusalem Post reported.
During the speech, Porush also expressed satisfaction that the new egalitarian worship section at the Western Wall will be in an “out-of-the-way corner.” He also said, according to the Times of Israel, “The Reform are responsible for the terrible intermarriage that we’ve been witnessing in the United States.”
In its decision, the committee wrote that Porush’s remarks “deviated radically and blatantly from the accepted way to express oneself in the Knesset or what is appropriate for an MK.”
Demonstrating opposition to the Women of the Wall is acceptable, the committee said, according to The Jerusalem Post, but Porush used an inappropriate expression that “denigrates and humiliates a group of women with different customs.”
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
