Rabbi Rafi Feuerstein, a leading figure in the Tzohar Rabbonim organization and the mora d’asra of the Dati Leumi Shul in Har Nof, spoke with the dati leumi Srugim website about the establishment of the Giyur K’halacha beis din for giyur headed by Rabbi Nachum Eliezer Rabinovitch Shlita.
Rabbi Feuerstein begins by stressing he is familiar with the beis din and the rabbonim involved, and despite the accusations leveled against them, they are not trying to compete with or comprise the authority of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel or the Chief Rabbis of Israel. “This is a process that is being carried out with great pain” he adds.
“There is not a week that I do not hear of a Jew marrying a half Jew, one whose dad is Jewish while the mother is not. We are dealing with people who want to marry Jews. These are people that one meets in the IDF, school and at work. They are Israeli in every sense of the word. One cannot detect that they are not Jews. Many couples only become aware of this after they have fallen in love and then have to address a very serious test”.
Rabbi Feuerstein is critical of the lack of action by the Chief Rabbinate. “Let’s say the solution of ‘Giyur K’halacha is not correct the chief rabbis will come and tell us their way, their solution. We are not hearing any solution. Conversion in the State of Israel is stuck. There are outstanding dayanim but giyur is stuck. I cannot accept this position, one that rules out the solution without offering a solution of its own. We cannot accept a slow process of assimilation. One must understand that all of the chumros in giyur are in fact leniencies for assimilation”.
The rabbi adds the establishment of this beis din follows all previous attempts to find a solution. He stresses all compromise was rejected with the establishment of a government complying with the demands of the chareidi parties. “So let’s say the solution of Rabbi Rabinovitch is not good. Give me an alternative. One cannot simply rule out everything without suggesting anything. Therefore I remain optimistic. This process is shocking. The role of the process is to shake the foundations. The players say ‘here is our solution. What is yours? You are chief rabbis so lead the process’. Therefore I say the intentions of the founders of the beis din are not against the Rabbinate but their outcry and voice of concern to prevent assimilation”.
Regarding the growing chareidi attacks against Rabbi David Stav:
I believe this stems from fear. They understand what we are saying. They do not have a solution. The more one attacks, it signals increased concern and distress. They don’t have solutions. On the one hand they are running the country and on the other, they do not know how to deal with it. Their Yahadut, with all its wonderful traits, does not have the tools to provide an answer for issues including the IDF, the state, and electricity on Shabbos. It’s a generator and to continue the small aloof Jewish kehilla. Suddenly, they see people getting up and establishing something and this just increases the crisis for them.
I think someone in the political arena is trying to mark Rabbi Stav and prevent elections for the Chief Rabbinate. They will not succeed for most of Israel identifies with Tzohar Rabbonim, identify with Rabbi Stav. The support is large and growing and I hope that ultimately this voice will succeed.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
Who besides R. Feurestein says the nation is behind Rav Stav? Was a pool taken? Calls made? Letters sent?
A typical HEADLINE used by every sector to show their way is just!!!!!
Do you have any other Picture of Rav Stav. Every time there is an article about him, its the same picture of him lifting has glasses to look at the phone
any solution to this serious issue that does not conform to halacha is not a solution. It does not prevent assimilation but rather hastens it. Any geris that does not require kabolas mitzvos is a great destruction in klal yisroel. This is why many IF NOT MOST dati leumi poskim are against this beis din. Merely calling themselves “giyur kehalcha” won’t help it to be kehalacha. those that don’t follow daas torah, unfortunately over time fade away and disappear e.g. reform and conservative movement hashem yerachem. WE DO HAVE A SOLUTION! CONVERT WITH KABOLAS MITZVOS!
Take your head out of the ground, Feurstein, and see the light… Start facing reality…. Stav is a nothing…
Not having an alternative solution does not warrant solutions that are deemed to be incorrect halachically. Sh’as hadchak can be an impetus to rely on views that would not be relied upon under ordinary circumstances. But the view must have halachic validity according the Poskim being asked. And, in a matter, affecting K’lal Yisrael, Gedolei HaPoskim must be asked. When Rav Chaim Ozer zt”l (in shu”t Achiezer) dealt with a conversion in the case of an intermarriage, he strove mightily to justify the conversion because of the sh’as had’chak, but concluded that if the person most certainly will not keep even core mitzvos, even an oral statement that he will does not help. The same ruling was given by Rav Moshe Feinstein, Rav Yitchak Herzog, Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, Rav Yaakov Weinberg and is being followed by the Israeli Rabbinate. Rav Unterman insisted on the convert living in a religious environment for a period of time after the conversion. Whereas other views have been expressed, rov g’dolei haposkim both in Eretz Yisrael and Chutz La’Aretz do not allow conversion without reasonable certainty of kabbalas and sh’miras mitzvos. Conversion of minors who will not likely keep mitzvos is massively debated by the poskim and the result of such conversions will be safeik Jews. We cannot justify a group of Rabbanim imposing their questionable standard in a matter that affects the sanctity of all of K’lal Yisrael. No solution is better than an invalid or extremely questionable solution. When faced with a similar situation, Ezra HaSofeir did not convert the non-Jewish spouses in questionable conversions. He insisted on separating from them. Whereas this is not a solution nowadays as there is no power to impose this, the model we must strive for is kiruv and education toward valuing Judaism and Torah. This and only this will encourage people to marry Jews and non-Jews to halachically convert if desired. Instant solutions are rarely acceptable and in this case is certainly not.
The Rabbanut does not have a good track record with giyur,both halachically speaking and staying out of the quagmire of politics.Simply speaking it would be great to have a beis din that fixed both problems. R.Feuerstein just ruined it.By speaking out against Chareidim he added the element of politics here.He will be hounded and the whole thing will fall apart,guaranteed.The Mezricher told his Chassidim not to answer back detractors,and that is why Chassidus dwarfs all other Torah paths. You can feel the anger and possibly hatred in his words. Vhee lo sitzlach
Actually most of Am Yisrael, no matter whether you you the halachic definition of the zionists definition (includes anyone with a Jewish grandparent), regard the Religious Zionists/Modern Orthodox as deluded fanatics who are not all that different than the “hareidim” except they have better taste in clothes.
The gap between a kippah srguah and a streimel isn’t really great – the gap between Shomrei Mitsvos and those who reject Torah and Mitsvos is enormous.