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7 Nissan 5762 - March 20, 2002 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Chareidi Leaders in London Meet with Israeli Ambassador Regarding Advancement of Reform in Israel
by Betzalel Kahn

A delegation of British chareidi leaders met with the Israeli ambassador to England last week and submitted a statement of opposition to recent moves in the Israeli legal establishment to advance the standing of the Reform movement--recognition that diminishes the stature of the Rabbinate and the place of halocho as an integral part of the Jewish tradition.

Delegation members Dayan Aharon Dovid Dunner, rav of Kehillas Adas Yisroel in Tottenham; R' Y. M. Zimmerman, chairman of Agudas Yisrael and one of the heads of the chareidi community in London; R' Yosef Loebenstein, Vice President of Agudas Yisrael, city council member in the Hackney District of London and one of the heads of the Union of Orthodox Communities; and R' Chaim Yaakov Davis, director of Agudas Yisrael in England, were received by the ambassador, Mr. Tzvi Stauber, and several of his advisors.

Stauber, listening intently with a sympathetic ear, said he understood their concern for the preservation of the unity of the Jewish people and would convey the delegation's sentiments to the Israeli government.

Rav Dunner said the High Court decision poses a significant danger. "There is no way to circumvent the instructions in the Talmud and the Shulchan Oruch," he said. R' Yosef Loebenstein said accepting the High Court order could cause a schism that would be catastrophic to the future of Klal Yisroel. R' Zimmerman demanded an immediate return to the previous status quo, which hands full control over marriage and religious status to the Chief Rabbinate without involving civil courts in any way. R' Davis warned that if the High Court decision is implemented it could result in assimilation on a scale seen in the U.S. Rachmono litzlan.

Rav Dunner also asked the Ambassador to relay concerns among rabbonim abroad over the problem of flights carrying kohanim over cemeteries. He quoted the psak issued by leading poskim, and cited HaRav Y. S. Eliashiv's halachic opposition.

Delegation members added that the only way to safeguard Eretz Yisroel against the serious threats it currently faces is to maintain Jewish unity and continued observance of the Jewish tradition.

 

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