HaRav Cohen speaking
About 300 rabbonim from all over Europe were on hand at the 31st gathering of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER) in Antwerp. The gathering took place from Monday to Wednesday, 8-10 Iyar. Among those attending were the two Chief Rabbis of Israel.
The two keynote speakers were HaRav Dovid Cohen, rosh yeshiva of Chevron yeshiva and a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, and HaRav Osher Weiss, rov of Darchei Torah in Jerusalem.
Addressing the several hundred attending rabbonim, the president of the Congress of European Rabbis, HaRav Pinchas Goldschmidt, Chief Rabbi and Av Beis Din of Moscow, discussed the dangers being faced that threaten the continued existence of Diaspora Jewry in Europe.
"Europe continues to be apprehensive regarding the strengthening of the extremist Rightist parties which, together with the extreme Left and the Moslems, are threatening the future of all of Europe in general and of the Jewish communities living within it. Anti-religious legislation, mainly against bris milah, education and shechitah, comes up almost daily, with the result that the number of Jews on the continent has dropped drastically in this past decade from two million to one million six hundred thousand."
He also stressed that "this period is very critical. The world is changing under our very eyes, and due to technological advances, it has become increasingly difficult to be a public figure in the public eye and perceived as clean in the eyes of all. I believe, however, in the power of the public and of our rabbis serving in the various communities throughout Europe which rises up to the challenge and truly sacrifices itself and its families in order to teach Torah to our people."
The chief of staff of the Congress' president, Mr. Gadi Gronich, reported on the severity of the situation in Belgium, where, in the past few months, the two houses of parliament in Flanders and Wallonia approved a law against shechitah which troubles the local community so that even the catering under the Machzikei Hadas supervision in Antwerp which supplied the food for those attending the Congress, was forced to create a team headed by Dayan HaRav Asher Sternbuch in order to undertake the shechitah in Poland and Spain.
HaRav Arye Ralbag, member of the staff of the Congress of European Rabbis and former Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam, proceeded with the leading of the opening session.
Chok HaAgunos
HaRav Goldschmidt outlined his activities regarding the Law of Agunos which had been approved in the Knesset. He said that the botei din in Israel are today authorized to sit on cases of Jewish agunos living abroad and operate through legal ways against recalcitrant husbands when they come to Israel. The rabbonim in Israel have legal means which are more effective than what is available outside of Israel. This is in order to promote the release of the agunos from the shackles of their situation.
"The law obligates the network of courts in Israel, as well as the botei din abroad to report the number of agunos which have been helped through this law. We have been informed of dozens such women which have been assisted thanks to this law. I request that all the botei din throughout Europe keep records of this data and transfer them to the network of botei din in Israel.
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