On Monday 2nd March, the Rabbinical Centre of Europe (RCE) will hold a three day conference in Paris which will be attended by over 300 hundred rabbis from across Europe and Israel. The RCE is an organization dedicated to seeing to the needs of rabbis and Jewish communities across Europe.
Many rabbis have told the RCE that there is large scale assimilation amongst parts of European Jewry and many communities are disappearing as a result. The RCE have planned many lectures and workshops that will allow rabbis the opportunity to share their experiences, successes and failures with their counterparts.
The RCE leadership believes that assimilation is the greatest threat to the Jews of Europe, even greater than anti-semitism and terrorism, and only a return to Jewish family values in a modern context will stem the flow.
The rabbis in attendance will represent a wide spectrum of outlook and will touch on many subjects that rabbis around Europe have sought answers for within their communities.
In attendance will be the two chief rabbis of Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Amar Shlita and Rabbi Yona Metzger Shlita and former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Yisrael Meir Lau Shlita.
Member of the Israeli Knesset Yaacov Litzman will also address the conference at a large symposium on Tuesday evening. The Chief Rabbis of Russia, Holland, Paris and Antwerp are just some of the high profile rabbinical figures that will be attending the conference.
Prominent rabbis from the UK, France and other large communities will mix with rabbis from extremely small communities such as Kyrgyzstan, Latvia and Malta at the conference.
The conference will also hear recommendations from some of the leading luminaries in the Jewish world on many issues, including pertaining to couples therapy and drug addiction.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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3 Responses
Assimilation is very dangerous, not just spiritually, but physically too.
As the old saying goes:
“Az der Yid macht nisht Kiddush, macht der goy Havdalah!”
This is of crucial importance. And may G-d bless all those observant who have made the effort to show politeness, patience, and friendship to those not yet on the derech.
Europe is in a very good position to reverse the trend if they are willing to invest in their future. As many synagogues are at least nominally Orthodox, a program similar to the US’s NCSY might be able to reach out to those who are on the wrong path. Even though not everyone who participates will become frum, those who develop Jewish identities and become bonded to other Jews at least have a chance that their children and grandchildren will remain Jews. As long as they identify, there is a chance for Teshuvah.