A number of women’s organizations have come out publically against the campaign of Holon Chief Rabbi Avraham Yosef, who hopes to become the next Rishon L’Tzion, Israel’s next Sephardi Chief Rabbi.
One such organization is מבוי סתום (Dead End), which works to assist agunos. The organization sent a letter to State Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, calling upon him to prevent Rav Yosef from running in the upcoming election.
The organization acknowledges the significant role played by the chief rabbis, especially for women. The organization cites the chief rabbi will serve as the chief dayan on the Chief Rabbinate Supreme Court and the rabbis set the tone for the nation’s batei din, especially in the system’s dealings with non-frum women. Dead End feels that based on responsa from the rav appearing on the internet, his hashkafa regarding the women’s role in unacceptable, especially regarding his view of women in the public eye and the rabbi’s perceived lack of tznius with such a reality.
“Women bear the brunt of the rulings of the batei din today due to the extreme rulings of the dayanim. It is most questionable if a rav with those very same ideals should head the beis din system and incorporate the reform plan. This is particularly true regarding the problem agunos face in the rabbinical system today” the letter states.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
One Response
Haaa? Bunch on non-sense. His father at least worked to release many many agunot when it came to the issues of men and war and not knowing where the body’s were. This is a bunch of non-sense. No “organizations” and politics should be involved in the Halachic decisions of Rabbanim. We need Din Torah now. By the way having a real Din Torah based system would beat the men who do not give their wives a GET, soo all those liberals who complain about Halacha it is their own fault in preventing the implementation of Din Torah.