Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter sharply criticized Women’s Advancement and Social Equality Minister May Golan on Thursday evening over remarks she made against MK Gilad Kariv and Reform Judaism.
This comes after her comments on Thursday, in which she lashed out at Kariv (Democrats) following reports that Rafi Kedoshim had been appointed as her adviser.
״מה שרפי קדושים עושה, אתה לא תעשה עוד מאתיים גלגולים כשאתה מחתן כלבים בבתי כנסת ההזויים שלך״
מאי גולן, שרה בישראל, מפיצה עלילות אנטישמיות מכוערות נגד מיליוני יהודים רפורמים בארץ וברחבי העולם היהודי.
זו הממשלה האנטי ציונית והאנטישמית ביותר בתולדות ישראל. הם הפכו את הקנאות… pic.twitter.com/RdBBr2fZKt
— גלעד קריב (@KarivGilad) May 20, 2026
“What Rafi Kedoshim does, you won’t achieve in another 200 lifetimes while marching with the Women of the Wall or officiating dog weddings in your delusional synagogues,” the Likud MK said.
Leiter slams May Golan’s comments ‘in the strongest terms possible’
Her comments sparked a scourge of condemnations from Leiter and several other Israeli politicians.
I condemn in the strongest terms Minister Mai Golan’s verbal attack on MK Gilad Kariv and on Reform Judaism in general. As an Orthodox Jew and as Israel’s representative to the United States I find her words disgusting and reprehensible, worthy of excoriation and rebuke.…
— Ambassador Yechiel (Michael) Leiter (@yechielleiter) May 21, 2026
Leiter, who described himself as an Orthodox Jew and Israel’s representative in the United States, said Golan’s remarks were unacceptable and said he would meet Reform movement leaders to apologize on behalf of Israel.
Golan rejected Leiter’s criticism, saying she was glad the ambassador had time to respond to her comments but accused him of taking them out of context. She said her remarks were directed only at Kariv personally and not at any Jewish community.
The incident comes amid renewed debate in Israel over relations with non-Orthodox Jewish movements, including Reform and Conservative Judaism.
Kariv says remarks targeted Reform Jews worldwide
Kariv said Golan had not merely insulted him personally, but had defamed millions of Reform Jews in Israel and around the world. He described the remarks as antisemitic and accused the government of legitimizing hostility toward non-Orthodox Jewish streams.
“May Golan, a minister in Israel, is spreading ugly antisemitic libels against millions of Reform Jews in Israel and throughout the Jewish world,” he wrote in a post after the incident.
“This is the most anti-Zionist and antisemitic government in Israel’s history. They have turned fanaticism and bullying into a way of life. They spit in the face of anyone who holds beliefs different from their own.”
Anna Kislanski, CEO of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, also condemned Golan’s comments, saying they reflected ignorance, incitement, and contempt toward millions of Jews. She said the remarks harmed the strategic connection between Israel and Diaspora Jewry.
