Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Dovid Lau warns that the status of religion and the Chief Rabbinate in Israel is not at its best, and that foreign entities are waging a struggle to change the character of the state.
Members of the Rabbinical Council have received a booklet summarizing all the decisions that were made by the Council while Rav Lau was presiding over it. Today, the council is under the leadership of Rishon L’Tzion HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yosef and Rav Lau is Av Beis Din of the Supreme Beis Din.
In his letter, the Chief Rabbi sums up his years as president of the council and writes, among other things, “It is no secret that the status of religion in the State of Israel in general and of the Chief Rabbinate in particular are not at their best. Issues, that until a generation ago were not on the desk of Gedolei Yisroel are now on our desks daily. Many entities, which are supported by foreign bodies, are waging a struggle to change the Jewish Zionist character of the state. One goal is to turn Israel into a state of all its citizens”.
“They focus on a number of issues,” says Rav Lau, adding, “one is against the Zionist identity of the state, and the other is against its Jewish identity. The first is the battle to change the religious status quo as it has been accepted until now, and especially the weakening of the position of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, with the goal of separating religion from state – to turn the State of Israel into a state without any Jewish character. They have enormous means to act to influence public opinion towards making it clear to the tzibur that there is no need for the Chief Rabbinate”.
Rav Lau adds in his letter to members of the council, and attacks rabbonim affiliated with the dati leumi community whom have connected to the Reform.
“Unfortunately, even members of the religious-liberal stream are cooperating with the idea to weaken the Chief Rabbinate, to establish a communal rabbinate in which each community can choose a suitable rabbi, to establish independent giyur, independent batei din and etc. Some of them even present their teachings openly and claim to be the followers of HaGaon HaRav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook.
“These things are permeating into the religious public. Those fighting to reduce the authority of the Chief Rabbinate are using all their means and funds at their disposal to influence public opinion towards distancing them from the Chief Rabbinate. The Chief Rabbinate is compelled to combat this trend and this heavy matter remains on our desk, working to repel the above-mentioned trend”.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One should note that in countries (e.g. most of Europe) where there is an “official” government supported state church, the people are largely secular, but in America where religious life is free from government control, most of the population tends to be religious.
In Israel the government has been supporting religious zionism with massive state coercion for 70 years, yet the largest growth in Israel is of the hareidim. Perhaps it might occur to them that organized religion flops when it becomes primarily a tool for government social control.