A delegation of British chareidi leaders met with the Israeli
ambassador to England last week and submitted a statement of
opposition to recent moves in the Israeli legal establishment
to advance the standing of the Reform movement--recognition
that diminishes the stature of the Rabbinate and the place of
halocho as an integral part of the Jewish tradition.
Delegation members Dayan Aharon Dovid Dunner, rav of Kehillas
Adas Yisroel in Tottenham; R' Y. M. Zimmerman, chairman of
Agudas Yisrael and one of the heads of the chareidi community
in London; R' Yosef Loebenstein, Vice President of Agudas
Yisrael, city council member in the Hackney District of
London and one of the heads of the Union of Orthodox
Communities; and R' Chaim Yaakov Davis, director of Agudas
Yisrael in England, were received by the ambassador, Mr. Tzvi
Stauber, and several of his advisors.
Stauber, listening intently with a sympathetic ear, said he
understood their concern for the preservation of the unity of
the Jewish people and would convey the delegation's
sentiments to the Israeli government.
Rav Dunner said the High Court decision poses a significant
danger. "There is no way to circumvent the instructions in
the Talmud and the Shulchan Oruch," he said. R' Yosef
Loebenstein said accepting the High Court order could cause a
schism that would be catastrophic to the future of Klal
Yisroel. R' Zimmerman demanded an immediate return to the
previous status quo, which hands full control over marriage
and religious status to the Chief Rabbinate without involving
civil courts in any way. R' Davis warned that if the High
Court decision is implemented it could result in assimilation
on a scale seen in the U.S. Rachmono litzlan.
Rav Dunner also asked the Ambassador to relay concerns among
rabbonim abroad over the problem of flights carrying
kohanim over cemeteries. He quoted the psak
issued by leading poskim, and cited HaRav Y. S.
Eliashiv's halachic opposition.
Delegation members added that the only way to safeguard Eretz
Yisroel against the serious threats it currently faces is to
maintain Jewish unity and continued observance of the Jewish
tradition.
