Israel – Leading Haredi Rabbi Yosef Elyashiv published a letter on Tuesday criticizing his counterpart Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef’s approval of conversions officiated by the Israel Defense Forces, calling all those converted by the state gentiles.
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“Everyone knows that there gentiles do not intend to take upon themselves a thing from the essence of the religion, neither the Sabbath, kashrut nor family purity laws. And everyone knows…. That the gentiles do not intend to embrace Judaism,” Elyashiv wrote in a letter signed by 17 ultra-Orthodox rabbis.
“We turn to everyone who can stop this terrible desecration, and to close the divider that has been breached,” the letter wrote.
The letter did not mention Rabb Ovadia’s name, but the letter was concluded with a statement directed at him saying “may the blessed lord place wisdom in the hearts of the misguided.”
Yosef, a former chief military rabbi himself, said following his ruling that his decision was informed by his own knowledge and experience with the military rabbinate.
Under current practice, Israel recognizes only conversions performed by Orthodox rabbis inside Israel, but people converted by non-Orthodox rabbis outside the country are automatically eligible for Israeli citizenship like other Jews. The legislation would give Israel’s chief rabbinate the legal power to decide whether any conversion is legitimate.
The group most likely to suffer would be immigrants who converted to Judaism abroad and could now be denied Israeli citizenship.
Maybe the opposing sides and various rabbis should actually meet and discuss this, instead of having their embarrassing and juvenile arguments on rival posters printed up by their askanim. And maybe the askanim could find honest work, instead of following rabbis around and stirring up trouble.
This is quite perplexing. The Gedolei HaDor who signed are people of genuine caring and Ahavat Yisrael who are careful with their words. But then again, so is Chacham Ovadiah?
Please G-D let there be peace in the tents of Torah and these titans of Torah arrive at common ground.
“The group most likely to suffer would be immigrants”
typical Ha’aretz bias reporting. they could’ve put this in a more positive manner by stating that “the group most likely to benefit would be klal yisroel.
besides the point that i don’t get the problem here at all. if the whole issue it to give them israeli citizenship, let them pass a law that whoever serves in the army will be granted citizenship. why the need to mess with this whole geiros issue?
Of course, it’s the usual printed Macha’ah (which anyone can print these days), with all the Rabbonim’s printed names but not a single signature.
And, in fact, since it is pretty easy to photoshop a signature, how can one validate any of these macha’os?
rab. ovadya over 90 verses rab. ovadya in the past who clearly held the same posit. in this matter as the ones mentioned on the poster ! so i see the poster only as a frendly reminder for r. ovadya ( or to the askanim around him….)
This is hard for me to understand. There was a deal made that all issues related to Geirus would fall under the jurisdiction of R’ Shlomo Amar. What happened to that?
Many of the names listed are Sephardic rabbanim. I am very skeptical that they all signed against Rav Ovadya.
where are the chassidish gedolim- Ger, Belz…
these goim are here.they live here they work here.they go into the army here.they don’t go into shules to doven of course because they aren’t jewish so no body expects them to observe shabbos or put on tfillin.whos kidding who and who will marry to them or there offspring? if this didnt give the rabbis overtime work to fiqure out yachasim it would be a laughing matter.
This is so immature….
Something tells me that anyone involved in such pashkevalin are not actually Gedolim. Can you imagine Hillel HaZakein doing this?!