In an impressive demonstration of unity as part of the biennial conference held by the Standing Committee of the European Rabbinical Conference, the Chief Rabbis and Presidents of the Courts from most European countries convened yesterday (Monday), chaired by Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt and Chairman of the Moscow Standing Committee. D. London and the Great Court of Europe, Rabbi Menachem Gelalei – in Munich, to discuss all the issues that concern the Holy Communities in Europe.
Count Goldschmidt, who was re-elected unanimously for another term as president of the conference, said at the beginning of the conference: The threats to the commandments of religion slaughter circumcision and circumcision, exist and require us to stand on our own two feet as our father Israel did in front of his brother Esau; Doron, prayer and war – they must understand that we will not accept any dictate how to slaughter, face or perform, when necessary, an act of migration. It is not a time of European niceness, but a waist-tightening and adherence to the determination and wisdom of the most important values for Jewish existence in Europe. “
“We have been privileged to hear,” Rabbi Goldschmidt added, “The genealogy and the prayer that we will have the sages of Israel hold on to us for days and years will be old and fresh. I am excited to be with my dear brother, rabbis of Europe since the outbreak of the terrible plague.
Count Goldschmidt added that “the members of the conference worked on a full-fledged plan for the twelfth convention of the plenum of the ‘European Rabbinical Conference’ which was scheduled for these days here in Munich. But as everyone knows, the conference Before the guidelines were issued by the health authorities, holding an event of this magnitude was impossible given the circumstances and guidelines of the Bavarian government and so we had to postpone the convention to the second month of Adar, hoping and praying for better days. “With the Bavarian authorities and the Corona’s restrictions on a limited number of rabbis, we are holding the convening of the Standing Committee.
In the four sessions of the Standing Committee chaired by Gram Gala’i, who was re-elected as chairman, there will be two days of discussions on many issues including: the campaign against legislation to ban or restrict slaughter and training in Poland, Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands, European and Belgian court decision, In view of the proposed conversion reform in Israel and its implications for the Diaspora. Establishment of kollel avrechim in the communities. Malta Convention Initiative, report on the development of the European Court of Justice and plans for the future. The House Committee for Sages program, the Agunot Overseas Law, the establishment of the departments; Clarifications of Judaism, Eruvin and Mikvahs. The Court’s Court of Appeals in Amsterdam and Personnel Issues at the Conference.
During the conference, General Goldschmidt met with the Prime Minister of Bavaria, Dr. Marcus Zeder. After discussing matters of religious freedom in Europe he thanked him for his support of the Jewish community in Bavaria and for the warm welcome and sponsorship given by his government to the convening of the rabbis.
The discussions began with the recitation of Psalms by the rabbinical director of the conference and Rosh Yeshivat Torat Chaim in Moscow, Rabbi Moshe Lebel, to the recovery of the European Governor, the great Gaon Rabbi Hanoch HaCohen Ben Blimla and the plague patients in Europe soon. The members of the Standing Committee welcomed the initiative of the chairman of the Berlin Beit Midrash for Rabbis, Rabbi Goldschmidt, with the blessing of the Arentroy family on the tenure of the Rosh Yeshiva of Hebron in Jerusalem, Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Farbstein as co-president of the Hagar. H. Arentroy.
In the discussion on the formulation of the conference’s position in light of the proposed reform of the conversion in Israel and its implications for the Diaspora in light of the call of the great men of Israel shlita – ‘Who is for me’ – the Gram Lebel surveyed the issue of conversions in detail.
Participants expressed the concerns of the Jewish community in Europe about the legislation against slaughter and circumcision in various countries that poses a real threat to the existence of Jewish life in Europe. In a discussion attended by Ms. Katrina von Schnurbain, coordinator on behalf of the European Union to Combat Anti-Semitism and to Promote Jewish Life, the rabbis surveyed; Rabbi Avraham Gigi, rabbi of Belgium and representative of the conference in EU institutions, Rabbi Mordechai Shodrich, rabbi of Poland and Rabbi Eliezer Wolf, abbot of Amsterdam, the current situation in their countries and the campaign they are waging against legislative initiatives. The director of the conference is the president of the conference, Mr. Gadi Gronich, in front of the governments and heads of the European Union in which they have enacted or in legislative proceedings against religious precepts.
In the discussion on the Agunot Law Abroad, GRP Goldschmidt extensively reviewed the issue of making the Agunot Law, which was passed in the Knesset as a temporary provision into a permanent law. It will be recalled that the important amendment made on his own initiative in the Rabbinical Courts Jurisdiction Law confers jurisdiction on rabbinical courts in cases of anchoring women from abroad. We have won and everyone knows the facts An hour to three years and passed on first reading. I hope that all those involved in the matter will be able to pass the amendment to a permanent law. ‘
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On the second day of the conference, Gram Lebel raised one of the crucial and critical issues; the issue of Judaism clarification of those who come to the gates of the communities. ‘ – The issue of clarifying Judaism arose and developed with the fall of the Iron Curtain and the departure of millions of former USSR Jews to both Israel and communities around the world. Because the leadership of the conference decided to establish a division to clarify Judaism that will be handled at the highest level by a rabbinical court headed by the leading judges at the conference.
Lt. Gen. Lebel said that in light of the many inquiries from community rabbis, it was also decided to establish an Eruvin Department, which would provide a halakhic and professional response and help communities across Europe establish and maintain Eruvin in the purpose of compilation. ‘Throughout Europe the establishment of eruv is not found, and in most cities no eruv has been established. Despite the great need for this, there is currently no competent body capable of providing practical and especially practical halakhic assistance in administrative and legal proceedings before the authorities in this important matter. ‘ The department will be headed by Rabbi Yitzchak Mordechai Pepper, who specialized with Rabbi Moshe Berlin, one of the most prominent experts in the laws of Eruvin in the world.
The conference secretary, Rabbi Shmuel Aharon Baskin, informed the participants that in light of the many requests from community rabbis, the conference management decided to renew the activities of the “Purify Israel” information bureau in the Maran Baal “Ayelet Hashachar” project Olstein. ‘It is our duty to be vigilant and assist in the construction of a new mikveh, in the renovation of the existing one, and in the day-to-day maintenance’.
The center of the conference ‘Rabbinical Reserve Training of Europe’ program Rabbi Naftali Schiff extensively reviewed the conference’s activities in the program in which thirty-eight young rabbis from nineteen countries completed a comprehensive program for rabbis on halakhic issues and tackling all rabbinical roles and challenges. “The second cycle is currently opening and we intend to run a special program to train rabbinical women to deal with the challenges of the rabbi and the community.”