Following an agreement signed by the Rabbinical Council of
America (RCA) to set up a network of regional botei
din in cooperation with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel,
Eternal Jewish Family (EJF), headed by HaRav Leib Tropper
which works extensively to uphold proper conversion practices
around the world based on consultations with gedolei
Yisroel, is warning against certain Chief Rabbinate
officials who are offering support and recognition for modern
rabbis who do not operate in accordance with halacha and is
urging the Chief Rabbinate to announce publicly that it will
not back these rabbis. According to reports in the foreign
press the list of rabbis approved for these botei din
includes individuals whose kehillas hold
minyanim for women.
Recently officials at the Chief Rabbinate have recognized a
number of new rabbis outside of Israel, some of whom are
upstanding dayanim. But there are also a number of
modern rabbinical organizations whose dayanim do not operate
in accordance with halacha and Jewish hashkofoh, and
their actions are liable to create major breaches in Kerem
Beis Yisroel.
EJF has voiced its strong support for steps the Chief
Rabbinate has taken to strengthen conversion abroad by
cooperating with the organization, but at the same time EJF
is warning not to submit to pressure of any kind, and to
ensure that conversions are performed only by dayanim who
have yiras Shomayim and are qualified to uphold the
halacha passed down through the generations —
especially in the area of conversion, a matter held dear by
Torah-true Judaism.
The organization also notes the importance of distinguishing
between rabbonim, who may be very capable of heading a
kehilloh, but they are not dayanim who have
specialized training and experience — including
shimush — needed to sit on the bench of an
orderly, permanent beis din. Without this training and
experience they should under no circumstances be authorized
to serve as dayanim in conversion courts. Proper conversion
courts require an av beis din widely recognized as an
expert and two other dayanim worthy of the title.
Recently, with the encouragement of EJF, 13 botei din
have been set up around the US to hear cases related to all
areas of Jewish law, including conversion. All these botei
din include a well-known av beis din.
EJF welcomes the RCA's initiative to transfer the authority
to perform conversions from individual rabbonim to fixed,
regional botei din, but at the same time calls on the
organization to ensure that the sitting rabbonim are properly
trained to serve as dayanim.
In a related matter, EJF wishes to clarify that information
regarding the agreement reached between the Chief Rabbinate
and the RCA is being distorted in reports in the general
press due to the efforts of several people who have ulterior
motives.
Chief Rabbi Amar has told Rav Tropper that the Chief
Rabbinate has only approved seven regional RCA botei
din and not 15 as has been widely reported in the press.
Also Chief Rabbi Amar has said that rabbis whose
kehillas have prayer groups for women will not be
approved as dayanim.
In a conference call among Rav Nochum Eisenstein, chairman of
the Vaad HaRabbonim Haolami LeInyonei Giyur founded by HaRav
Chaim Kreiswirth zt"l, Rabbi Peretz of the Chief Rabbi's
Office, and a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, this
message was clearly conveyed. Nonetheless, the Jerusalem
Post refused to print a correct of the incorrect
information in their previous articles, saying that it was
not "interesting" to their readers.
