'Rabbi' tiff pits Israeli president vs reformists

JERUSALEM, June 25 (Reuters) The world's biggest Jewish reformist movement today announced a boycott of Israel's president after he refused to address its leaders as ''rabbis'', stoking a long-running dispute on religious tradition.

Though founded as a Jewish homeland, Israel's state rituals are guided by ancient Orthodox practice pitting it against Jews abroad who largely observe the more modern, liberal religious practices known as Reform and Conservative.

The latest spat followed media interviews in which President Moshe Katsav said he does not refer to visiting Reform rabbis by their clerical honorific as their ordination is not recognised by Israeli authorities.

''I would be willing to refer to Reform rabbis as just that, 'Reform rabbi','' Katsav told Israel Radio. According to media reports, Katsav has also made do with ''mister'', ''sir'' or sometimes just a silent slap on his interlocutor's shoulder.

Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism umbrella group, responded by saying his group would shun Katsav a move that could strain Israel's ties with a Diaspora from which it draws support in terms of diplomacy and donations.

''President Katsav denies the legitimacy of 1.5 million Jews in the United States who belong to the Reform movement when he does not refer to their leaders according to the title they deserve,'' Yoffie told Israel's Maariv newspaper.

Many Israeli Jews sympathise with the non-Orthodox streams and have long campaigned for the state to allow alternatives in ceremonies such as marriages and burials.

With tens of thousands of recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union not defined as Jews under Orthodox criteria, there have also been calls to loosen the stringent standards for religious conversion in Israel.

But Israel's Orthodox enjoy higher birth rates and represent strong electoral constituencies. Many nominally secular Israelis, such as Katsav, opt for Orthodox tradition when it comes to religious rituals.

Katsav, whose office is ceremonial but considered key to promoting Israel's foreign relations, is to step down next year.

The frontrunner to succeed him is Yisrael Meir Lau, a former Israeli chief rabbi who opposes institutional acceptance of non-Orthodox movements. He recently angered liberal groups by coming out against annual gay pride parades in the Jewish state.

''An ultra-Orthodox Jew like Rabbi Lau can be president, but he should first abide by a number of conditions, like visiting our institutions and referring to our leaders by their title,'' said Yoffie.

Reuters SY BD1858