New York – American Rabbis Issue Kol Korei Saying Open Orthodoxy Incompatible With Torah Judaism

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    New York – Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of America has issued a public proclamation condemning Open Orthodoxy and stating that the movement is not a form of Torah Judaism.

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    A statement released today by Agudath Israel of America publicized the kol korei and said that Open Orthodoxy’s rejection of the basic principles of yiddishkeit, including the authority of both the Torah and rabbonim, make it inconsistent with Orthodox Judaism.

    Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, executive vice president of the Agudah, explained that the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah had been contemplating the problem of the Open Orthodoxy movement for several years, releasing the carefully worded kol korei today.

    “They wanted to go on public record to make it clear to Jewish communities across the country and everywhere else that anyone who is considering bringing a rabbi into their Orthodox congregation should know that someone who subscribes to Open Orthodoxy is not considered legitimate in the eyes of the mainstream Orthodox community,” Rabbi Zwiebel told VIN News.

    As previously reported on VIN News, the Novominsker Rebbe, Rav Yaakov Perlow who is a member of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah, slammed Open Orthodoxy in an address at the Agudah dinner in 2014, describing it as both a “plague” and “apikorsus.”

    The kol korei compared Open Orthodoxy to other dissident groups that have attempted to lead Jews astray throughout history.

    While the proclamation singles out Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, Yeshivat Maharat and the International Rabbinic Fellowship by name, it warns the public that the views of all leaders and entities that subscribe to Open Orthodoxy are in no way associated with the Torah.

    “We therefore inform the public that in our considered opinion, ‘Open Orthodoxy’ is not a form of Torah Judaism (Orthodoxy), and that any rabbinic ordination (which they call ‘semicha’) granted by any of its affiliated entities to their graduates does not confer upon them any rabbinic authority.”

    The eleven rabbonim who signed on the kol korei , Rav Simcha Bunim Ehrenfeld, Rav Yitzchok Feigelstock, Rav Dovid Feinstein, Rav Aharon Feldman, Rav Yosef Frankel, Rav Yosef Harari-Raful, Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, Rav Avrohom Chaim Levin, Rabbi Yaakov Perlow and Rav Aharon Schechter, represent a wide cross section of the Orthodox Jewish community.


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    72 Comments
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    misslydia128
    misslydia128
    8 years ago

    The only thing unorthodox about these women poskim is that they are women. They are in aligment in orthodoxy in every other way, adhering to halacha. Power (male dominance) is a hard thing to give up.

    Boochie
    Boochie
    8 years ago

    Do they realize that these KK that they keep producing just give legitimacy to the people their kking about

    SrulyC
    SrulyC
    8 years ago

    Thank you very much for fighting the very important battles that threaten our communities. Now back to regular programming, lakewood kids still without a school, (even with the tag filters)

    8 years ago

    Recent articles profess to claim that some of Ami magazine articles are in line with open orthodoxy.

    8 years ago

    Finally

    jack25
    jack25
    8 years ago

    Yup, the biggest problem of our dur … ‘Orthodox is very well in tune..!!!

    anon1
    anon1
    8 years ago

    Dear judith
    I am pro women rights this has nothing to do with anything.
    See many of the articles that people in these movements have written as well as some of their public proclamations
    feminist or not this isn’t orthodoxy

    Lucky
    Lucky
    8 years ago

    This didn’t single out woman, no rabbinic ordination will be recognized applies to men as well. Basically no man or woman with any title from those open organizations will be considered Rabbi and any shul with one at it’s helm is no longer Orthodox.

    LionofZion
    LionofZion
    8 years ago

    What a relief. YCT Rebeim were about to join the Hanhala of their Yeshivas, but the Roshei Yeshiva got ahead of it. The women rabbis will now join all of the other pulpit rabbis who have not gotten any respect from the Moetzes for the past 50 years.

    Justleftkolel
    Justleftkolel
    8 years ago

    Really smart Kol Kereh, this is a great way to build achdus is Klal Yistoel, to condem whole groups of Frum people. Everyone is aware that the Moetzes does not support open orthodoxy, but these divisive announcements do nothing but break down unity in Klal Yisroel.

    Betsalel
    Betsalel
    8 years ago

    This is an important letter. Doing this in writing is so important because orally this has already been communicated by most Orthodox Rabbis, but heard only by their own congregants, and the principle danger of Open Orthodoxy is in their written statements to those not in normative Orthodox congregations.

    There are people who take a combative tone to defend Open Orthodoxy, but Orthodoxy is as it’s Rabbis say it is, not as a group of rogue rabbis say it is. Once Open Orthodox rabbis do and support things opposite explicit verses in the Torah, do you even need a Rabbi to tell you to stay away? Based on the continued defiant defense of Open Orthodoxy in the face of a vast majority of Orthodox Rabbis objecting to it, yes, we do need such a statement and by gedolim, leading sages of our generation.

    Now it’s time for members of Open Orthodoxy to distance themselves from that movement and return to the fold of true Orthodox Judaism.

    mrhanono
    mrhanono
    8 years ago

    Be Makom she ein ish, ishtadel lijyot ish.
    Kol hakavod to the Rabanim and Hakhamim for standing tall and warning Am Israel of this terrible danger.
    What a shame it is necessary to remind people ‘Ve al binatja al tishaen.’
    Am Israel stands on Emunah, Emunah peshuta- Emuna in HKBH, in His Torah, and in our Hakhamim.

    Right613
    Right613
    8 years ago

    Women follow men. Not the other way around.

    Anon99
    Anon99
    8 years ago

    Everyone knows or should have known what the Moetzes thinks of OO. This is barely “news.” The Jewish organizations hiring YCT people and OO people do not really care what the right wing Yeshivish organizations think of them. They do not identify with the Agudah type movements of which every single signer belongs to.

    When the RCA/OU/YU modern orthodox crew (besides for Rabbi Gordimer whose feelings on the subject have been published extensively) write a KK like this, and not just please don’t ordain women, that would be actual news. Those groups have not properly stood up to YCT/OO and have allowed in-roads into modern orthodoxy.

    sasregener
    sasregener
    8 years ago

    Now the Agudah wakes up?
    Must be convention season….

    sighber
    sighber
    8 years ago

    In addition to the kol koreh, it would be helpful if the Rabbanim would state specifically so others would know., what it is in this so-called open orthodoxy that is objectionable and the halachic sources for why.

    InsideOne
    InsideOne
    8 years ago

    Wonderful. The agudah and the moetzes, who looked the other way as molested in their institutions harmed generations of children and who actively oppose laws aimed at granting to future children the safety that they refuse to provide; who actively discourage young people from getting an educational to support their families; and who ignore the impossible lives foisted on their followers by ever increasing and anti-torah hardships like children not getting into schools, have time for accusations about whether other groups are doing the right thing? Feh. We truly live in an oilam hafuch, but at this point, for anyone who still thinks the agudah and the moetzes represent anything remotely related to kedusha and kovod shomayim….I’ve got a bridge to sell you.

    8 years ago

    Dovid Zwiebel and the Agudah can’t define what it is true Orthodoxy. They have their interpretation of it, and not all Orthodox have to wear oversized black hats and parrot everything said to them. May the groups be MATZLIACH in their efforts and go from strength to strength. AMEN!

    Anominous
    Anominous
    8 years ago

    Rabbossai, listen carefully…

    to start, I am a yeshivish working person. One of the things that come to mind when I see what’s going on, is that how is it possible that intelligent people who generally want to be good, can come to a practice of Judaism that can be called Apikorsim? They were intelligent Jews who also like Hashem…

    The conclusion is that little by little, people can become blind to the truth. And although they seem to be just like us, they are in a completely different dimension. They can’t see at all.

    From this we have to wonder about ourselves. It is possible that a person who dresses very frum and claims to be orthodox, to be very far from the truth as well in many different ways. How many of us oppress others? Business dealings? Honesty? Hate? etc, etc.

    We should wake up and realize that most men are blind to their faults. Even if you are trying to be honest. We depend on others to tell us how wrong we are.

    Now that the gedolim made the statement about those apikorsim, wonder about your own faults. Each one of us has faults that has to be erradicated. Good luck on your mission. Boruch K.

    leahle
    leahle
    8 years ago

    Thank goodness Judaism has changed not a single bit since Moshe, wearing his shtreimel, let our ancestors out of Egypt. Each and every practice remains the same. Ruth never converted by sleeping with Boaz – she actually studied in a Chassidishe yeshiva for years before going to the mikvah. Kitniyos didn’t start in the 11th century – it must have been part of the instructions on Har Sinai. We never had a woman prophet like Devorah because the words of women are like bones rattling around in a pail. Our ancestors always ate hechshered Badatz food. In fact, the Badatz inspectors walked to each and every household in Eretz Yisroel on a daily basis to make sure that their milk was cholov yisroel and their meat glatt. Each and every part of today’s service in shul existed from the beginning of our people, because to claim otherwise would imply that sometimes there are changes in our religion. No, today’s frum are following EXACTLY each and every rule and custom that has always existed. And you wonder why most Jews want nothing to do with you.

    Anominous
    Anominous
    8 years ago

    Wow. Number 56 and 57 just show how blind people and modern orthodoxi can become. Guys, see what an aveira can do in blinding a person. You do it a few times and you no longer have the vision you have before. That is what the guemara says, you do it a few times and it becomes “permissible”. A live lesson to all of us. The purpose of putting modern orthodoxy down should be not for them, as there is no help, but for us, to see how low a person can go.

    Anominous
    Anominous
    8 years ago

    It doesn’t work to argue with the “modern orthodox & co.”. In the hagadah we don’t answer the rasha, but to the other children. When Hashem in the near future will say: “Hineini”, the reshayim will become dust to the soles of the tsadikim. I am sorry for them…But it is for those who bring a sacrifice every day and do the best they can in avodas Hashem. Not for those who practice convenient Judaism. The reshayim’s derision of true avodah makes our reward even greater. Let’s wait and see what Hashem says when He shows up. It’s actually already written down…Acheichem, soneichem….hahaha