Reform Rabbi and Labor MK Gilad Kariv’s appointment as the head of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee was confirmed last week. The influential committee carries much power over matters of religion and state, including the supervision of the Rabbanut and Batei Din.
In the course of a committee meeting, Kariv said: “We stand behind the opposition to a Reform Chief Rabbi because we don’t believe in the need for the Rabbanut.”
Shas MK Moshe Arbel retorted: “You don’t believe. Period.”
Shas MK Aryeh Deri spoke from the Knesset plenum prior to Kariv’s appointment, noting that the greatest threat to the Jewish people is assimilation. “Unfortunately we see the proof that when kehillot are makpid to preserve the mesoret, there is virtually no assimilation. But in communities that come up with a ‘new Judaism’, assimilation is over 80%, Hashem Yerachem.”
“The stubborn battle of the Reform to receive recognition as a legitimate stream of Judaism hasn’t succeeded until now,” Deri stressed. “My brothers in the opposition – an MK who boasts of being a reform rabbi is poised to be appointed as the head of a committee that deals with the most sensitive issues of religion and state. Whoever votes for him is proclaiming that he doesn’t care about the assimilation of the Jewish people.”
UTJ MK Yisrael Eichler said: “I prefer Mansour Abbas, a Palestinian Muslim who is faithful to his nation and birthplace as the head of the Law Committee than the appointment of an enemy of the Torah. He has already fought for 25 years against lomdei Torah, against their budgets, and against the basic rights of the Chareidi community, and he almost caused a civil war when he repealed the draft law.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
The truth is that this reform clergyman is right, that there is no need for a Chief Rabbi there, but not for the reason he thinks.
The UK also has a Chief Rabbi while the US and most other countries with Jews do not have one.
While there could be a benefit to having a Rabbi on any government’s payroll, this is almost besides the point. Our true “Chief Rabbis” are those who are the greatest Torah scholars who have a mesorah from rebbi to talmid starting all the way back.
In addition, the Zionist State of Israel is different than the US and the UK in one major way: the Zionist State, unlike all other countries, is Zionist, which means that it is anti-Jewish to its core. Therefore, it is absurd to have a Chief Rabbi in the Zionist State of Israel because that country’s entire existence and purpose is to destroy Judaism.
The less Jewish that people perceive the State of Israel, the better it is for the Jews. Eliminating that government job would be a step in that direction.
Satmar would agree. The primary job of the zionist “state” rabbanut is to keep the Hareidim in line, and prevent them from offering meaningful opposition to the zionist regime. For the zionists to abolish their own rabbinut (creating a vacuum to be field by hareidi gedolim who are none too zionistic) is a classic example of “shooting oneself in the face” or “cutting off the nose to spite the face”.
Reform is not Judaism.
Please correct headline. It’s not “Head of Law”, rather “Head of Religious Services”. (דת = Religion)
It should be noted that whatever the outcome of the current debate in the Knesset regarding the future legitimacy of the Rabbanut, it would have no effect on the current debate regarding the appointment of a CR for the CR.
Hashem told us that we don’t need a king. We wanted a king. We didn’t trust in Hashem. And we paid the price.
There is no concept of a “chief rabbi” for a country in our mesorah. Certainly not a person appointed by the secular government.
The Rabbanut is a den of iniquity and corruption. Its purpose is to monopolize religious life in Israel solely for profit. The Eida Charedis, the Chassidish leaderships, local rabbeim and local institutions can all do the job of monitoring kashrut, mikvaot, marriages, divorces (G-d forbid), and conversions. As has always been our mesorah.
On this, the far left and the far right can agree.
He is not a “rabbi” and shold be referrre to as Mr. Kariv. Also he is not reformed, but deformed. How about “Deformed rabbi, Mr. Kariv”?
how about deformed rabbit, Mr. Kariv