Chief Rabbi of Norway who was invited to atten
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94 516-569-2662 T H E J E W I S H H O M E n M AY 2 4 , 2012
— See page 5, 50 & 51 —
Around the Community JCCRP Helps 121 Children Attend Camp This Summer Page 44
fo desirpmoc ylbmessa na yb detcele era sibbar feihc ehT fo 07 acric erew sibbar feihc rof selttab ehT .cilobmys erom neeb Nobel Prize ceremonies during his tenure. Nice be .cilbup eht fo sevitatneserper 07 dna sibbar 08 :srebmem 051 labrev gniogno dna gnithgfini suodnemert htiw arE nommoC eht of the position. But that is about it in the Diaspor ,seitic ilearsI rojam fo sibbar eht sedulcni sibbar fo puorg ehT rof learsI fo aidem dna sdiolbat eht ssorca sweJ tsgnoma selttab Israel, the sti rofjob, derebmemehowever, r eb lliw noitcele tsap sihcomes T .shtnom with considerably influencenoitcand erid yreve benefits ni wefl snoitasuccA .drand ocsid dna rthat ocnar is why the role of C Rabbi in.truIsrael is such a contested position. oc lautca ni dna noinipo cilbup fo truoc eht ni htob eseht no sucof eht desiar evah ot smees ytivitca siht llA etanutrofnu eht eb yThe am sihT .slevPosition el wen ot snoitisop and the Process The office of Chief .noitcele tsaRabbi p siht fo ycagel in Israel dates back t | s I o t e u q i n u t o n s i i b b a r f e i h c e h t f o t p ecnocTowns, ethe hT Jewish period when the leader of community t A PUBLICATION OF THE FIVE TOWNS & QUEENS COMMUNITY august 1–august 7, 2013 Distributed In The Five Queens & Brooklyn na evah snoitan ynam ,aropsaiD eht tuohguorhT .lear em -inummoc hsiweJ eht fo evitatneserper suoigiler laicfifo ing suomaf tsom eht ylbaborP .ibbar feihc si eltit esohw yt Isra .niatirB taerG fo skcaS nahtanoJ droL ibbaR feihC si shu -cnuf etatS laicfifo dnetta dlrow eht dnuora sibbar feihC by -moc hsiweJ citsemod eht fo ”rodassabma“ eht sa snoit ific remrof eht ,dneirf ym eb dluow tniop ni esac A .ytinum LeT eht dnetta ot detivni saw ohw yawroN fo ibbaR feihC “Fi tfieneb eciN .erunet sih gnirud seinomerec ezirP leboN Th nI .aropsaiD eht ni ti tuoba si taht tuB .noitisop eht fo tor erom ylbaredisnoc htiw semoc ,revewoh ,boj eht ,learsI uhaynateN nimajneB retsiniM emirP htiw Wa feihC fo elor eht yhw si taht dna stfieneb dna ecneuflni est .noitisop detsetnoc a hcus si learsI ni ibbaR .segduj suoigiler net sa llew sa ,slicnuoc lanoiger dna snwot the evfi ,sretsinim tnemnrevog owt fo pu edam si puorg dnoces ehT dat ssecorP eht dna noitisoP ehT suoigiler fo sdaeh dna sroyam eht dna tessenK eht fo srebmem riehT .slicnuoc lanoiger dna snwot tsegral s’learsI fo slicnuoc namottO eht ot kcab setad learsI ni ibbaR feihC fo ecfifo ehT -evfi owt otni tilps mret raey-net a ot ibbar feihc hcae stcele etov eht tuohguorht ytinummoc hsiweJ eht fo redael eht nehw doirep etanibbaR feihC eht fo mleh eht ta secalp gnidart sdoirep raey -dulcni ,eripme pointment of a British High Commis ht gni two established the Orthodox Rabbinate b -ureJ ni truthree oC cinibbaR hweeks giH eht fo ycneof diserp consolation, eht dna licnuoC fo sweJ ethe uring the past Chief Rabbis dlO s’learsI Lau Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi to the pre-exi -sime sof uoigilIsrael er laicfifo s’lewere arsI era yehtelected, ,mret rieht gniruDRabbi .melas -iY David for the Ashkenazi dellac saw ,vuhs Yo- LeTziyon. The first Chief Ashkenazi R ni evres dna dnecommunity tta ,denoitnem sa ,lliw yehand T .dlrow Rabbi eht ot seiras Yitzchak sef representing the Sephardic ronoh ehrefer t yb to Isaac Kook, appointed by the British in .daorba dna learsI ni hJews tob etatS foof snoitcIsrael, nuf lainomerecwho ynam -also this position as the Rishon LeTziyon. The timing could not have arguably the post’s most notable and in ,learsI detisiv amabO tnediserP nehw ,elpmaxe rof ,raey tsaL nohsiR“ eht cfii been more symbolic. The battles for chief rabbis were circa 70 of The chief rabbis are elected by an eL A ibbaR feihC idrahpeS dninfighting a regzteM ibbaR feihCand zanekhsongoing A eht ”,noyizTverbal Page 56 the Common Era withramtremendous 150 members: 80 rabbis and 70 repre noiZ Israel fo tsriF“ for The group of rabbis includes the rabb noitageled gnthe iviecer etabloids ht fo trap sa camraand t eht no media erew htob ”.of battles amongst Jewsrofacross v hsitirB ehT .tnediserp naciremA efor ht -ciits months. This past election will be remembered rancor and discord. Accusations ot elor lufrewop dna tnavflew eler erom rin af a severy ah ibbar feihcdirection ehT dlroW ni yrot both in the court of public eettimmoc gniopinion moclew eht no gnand ivres ylerin em naactual ht learsI ni yalcourt. p eht ot del I raW All this activity seems to have raised the focus fo tnemhsilbatse eht sa evres lliw ibbar feihc eht ,denoitnem sA .seiratinon gid rofthese positions to new levels. This may be the unfortunate Page 62 lacinibbaR eht dna etanibbaR feihC eht fo licnuoC eht fo sdaeh -naM hsitirB eht legacy of this past election. a eht dna ,etad sa gnitchief ca ton si ohwrabbi ibbar feihcisehT .not ylevitcepunique ser ,truoC dnarGto-pIsThe concept of the
THEJEWISHHOME Cover Storyeekly W
TWO CHIEFS for
One“Tribe”
One “Tribe” By holding these positions, which they will
trade after five years, the chief rabbis control all official institutions that run organized Jewish religious life in Israel.
Protest Held Across from the Israeli Consulate to Protest the Release of 104 Terrorists in Israel Page 43
Straight A’s for Orah Day Camp! Page 42
Queens Community Rallies Together for Ohr Natan
Page 35
D
lliw yeht hcihw ,snoitisop eseht gnidloh yB
lortnoc sibbar feihc eht ,sraey evfi retfa edart Agudath Israel’s National Leadership dezinagro nur taht snoitutitsni laicffio lla Mission to Washington .learsI ni efil suoigiler hsiweJ rael. Throughout the Diaspora, many nations have an official religious representative of the Jewish community whose title is chief rabbi. Probably the most famous is Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks of Great Britain. Chief rabbis around the world attend official State functions as the “ambassador” of the domestic Jewish community. A case in point would be my friend, the former Chief Rabbi of Norway who was invited to attend the Nobel Prize ceremonies during his tenure. Nice benefit of the position. But that is about it in the Diaspora. In Israel, the job, however, comes with considerably more influence and benefits and that is why the role of Chief Rabbi in Israel is such a contested position.
The Position and the Process The office of Chief Rabbi in Israel dates back to the Ottoman period when the leader of the Jewish community throughout the empire, including the Jews of Camp Avnet Knocks Down the Pins Israel’s Old Yishuv, was called for OHEL by the honorPage 43 — See page 24 — ific the “Rishon LeTziyon,” the By holding these positions, which they will “First of Zion.” The British victrade after five years, the chief rabbis control tory in World — See page 37 — War I led to the all official institutions that run organized establishment of the British Mandate, and the apJewish religious life in Israel.
with Prime Minister Benjamin Neta
towns and regional councils, as well The second group is made up of two go members of the Knesset and the mayo councils of Israel’s largest towns and vote elects each chief rabbi to a ten-yea year periods trading places at the helm Council and the presidency of the High salem. During their term, they are Israe saries to the world. They will, as menti many ceremonial functions of State b Last year, for example, when Preside Ashkenaz Chief Rabbi Metzger and Se both were on the tarmac as part of the the American president. The chief rabbi has a far more relev play in Israel than merely serving on t for dignitaries. As mentioned, the chie heads of the Council of the Chief Rabb Grand Court, respectively. The chief r