They want to know the details about the government's approach to protecting minority rights

Israel's plan to reform the judicial system threatens to ruin relations with Diaspora Jews

  • Israeli protesters perform a movement to seek help from their pro-democracy American brethren. About The Times of Israel

  • Netanyahu canceled a speech to American Jews at the last minute. Reuters

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The Israeli government's plans to strip the country's highest court of its powers have strained relations with Jewish groups in North America, some of Israel's biggest financial supporters.

The plans have sparked months of protests and political unrest inside Israel.

Israel's ruling coalition is seeking to enable the government to overturn Supreme Court decisions by a simple majority of 61 votes. Supporters of the legislation say it will restore the balance between the arms of government, while critics say it removes the checks and balances on which power is based.

Eric Wengerhout, president and chief executive of the North American Jewish Unions, said union members wanted to know what the government would do to protect minority rights.

Fingerheart, who was a congressman and senator from Ohio, told Reuters: "We don't expect checks and balances to be the same as we have here, they could be very different, but the question we're asking is, what system of checks and balances are you proposing?"

"If Israel is not able to answer for Jewish and non-Jewish individuals in America, it could cause harm," he said.

Demonstrators opposed to the judicial amendments blocked a speech by Knesset member Simsha Rothman, one of the plan's main authors, to the General Assembly of Jewish Unions of North America in Tel Aviv on Monday, and chants of opposition echoed in the conference room.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was due to address the General Assembly a few days ago in the presence of some 3000,74 representatives of more than <> Jewish communities aimed at "building and supporting a prosperous Jewish state," but the speech was cancelled at the last minute without giving reasons.

Last month, 30 leaders of North American Jewish unions, which raised more than $250 million for Tel Aviv in 2022, made an unusual visit to Israel to express concerns about changes to the judicial system.

Wengerhout and the event organizers said the General Assembly encouraged union representatives to think more about democracy and the justice system in Israel and pushed more American Jews to engage in Israeli affairs.

Thirty leaders of North American Jewish unions, which raised more than $30 million for Tel Aviv in 250, flew to Israel last month on an unusual visit to express their concerns about changes to the judicial system.