The giyur beis din headed by Rabbi Nachum Eliezer Rabinovitch Shlita this week converted nine persons. Heading the ceremony in Efrat was the city’s chief rabbi, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, one of the rabbonim affiliated with the beis din. Four of the new converts are children and the remainder adults. Most of them came to Israel from the Former Soviet Union.
Since the establishment of the new beis din a few months ago, tens of persons have completed giyur.
Despite the av beis din being a noted talmid chacham, the beis din and its independent giyur is opposed by many including the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and many prominent poskim in the dati leumi community.
In the case of this week’s giyorim, the candidates were in the process of converting when they hit a brick wall. The converts explain they encountered difficulties during the investigation to Yiddishkheit, with many stating they were humiliated and treated in an unacceptable fashion, leading to their decision to move to the new beis din. The candidates explained they realized they would never complete the probe into their status due to a lack of documentation from their former life. One candidate explained to the media the probe into his former life and ancestry was ongoing for four years, leading him to realize it would never end.
Some of them explain they lived a traditional Jewish life prior to coming to Israel, adding “I always regarded myself as being Jewish and davened for the time I would be able to hear the sound of a shofar in Eretz Yisrael”. They explain despite their efforts, they were up against a wall at the Chief Rabbinate.
YWN notes that Chief Rabbi of Efrat Rabbi Shlomo Riskin has previously referred to “J” as a “model Rabbi”, and called him “Rabbi J”. [VIDEO IS BELOW]
Some excerpts of the 5 minute video:
Shalom to all. My name is Shlomo Riskin. I am the Chief rabbi of the City of Efrat…..I am an Orthodox Rabbi…and an Orthodox Rabbi who is very profoundly interested in religion in general, in Christianity, and especially in the persona of Jesus in particular….I was truly fascinated by the personality of Jesus, whom to myself I have always referred to as “Rabbi Jesus”….because I think he is indeed a “model Rabbi” in many counts…and he lived the life of a Jewish Rabbi in Israel in a very critical time in our history…..I have constantly come back to the study of his personality and his teachings which are very strongly rooted in Talmudic teachings…..”
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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10 Responses
Nut case
Why would one need a conversion if “J” was a Rabbi…
Why in the world would you post such garbage on a website called “THE YESHIVA WORLD” .
This man is an Apikoras he has always been and will always continue to be an Apikoras.
You have no idea of the negative affects in yiddishkeit this drek had on the wonderful people in the community I live.
By posting this you are only feeding into his filth.
Confusion reigns! “Rabbi Nachum Eliezer Rabinovitch Shlita … a noted talmid chacham” was the head of the beis din that did the conversion.
The author then lurches to an attack on the person who headed the “ceremony”
Highlighting Rabbi Riskin in this article is attacking the character or circumstances of an individual who is advancing a statement or an argument instead of trying to disprove the truth of the statement or the soundness of the argument. Often the argument is characterized simply as a personal attack. (Ad Hominem)
Shall we condemn Chanuka because Ronald Reagan issued a “Message on the Observance of Hanukkah December 21, 1984”? I mean he was a full believer in “J”!
Would you condemn Passover because Barak Obama issued a “Statement from the President on Passover April 03, 2015”? While I don’t know what he believes in, I’m sure he doesn’t turn to the “Chief Rabbinate of Israel and many prominent poskim in the dati leumi community”.
simply sad
I’m sorry to say, but this article lacked clarity. There are many vital points missing here and thus leave this issue cloudy. (This is not to say that I’m defending this “Beis Din”. I am not and do not hold of them.)
posting such news creates animosity.
he is not respected, his giyur is not a giyur according to our gedolim.
so let’s ignore him and not give publicity.
since your site is called ‘yeshiva world’ its news should reflect the yeshiva world and give the title ‘shlit’a’ to those who would receive it in the yeshiva world and not to those who go against the directives of our gedolim.
but to publish such propoganda only creates problems.
#3 ‘Mitzvah lefarsem chote hmachte es hurabim….’ I never knew about this speech on J. Just read many years ago in one of the newspaper (Jewish Press?)his weekly dvar torah The heading was ‘Moshe Rabbeinu was lousy politicion’. So by mir hot her shion geshtinken since then…but now , with this I vindicate myself
‘Shem reshuim yirkuv’ He keeps repeating the name J . Besides, ‘im hrav dome lemalach hashem tzevuous yevakshu torah mipihu….’ er hot nit kein Yiddishe tzirah. What graduate is he from?….
He sounds like Open Orthodox type or …
As far as the YWN note about J, It was nore than poor wording on Rabbi Riskin’s part. The Rambam even said that J taught the world about moshiach so when the real moshiach comes the world will understand (something to that effect).
The Rabanut causes anguish to many gerei tzedek. They want to be Jews. There is no excuse for long delays. The potential geirim can’t get married or move on with their lives.
Rabbi Riskin is not rubber stamping converts.