Comments on: Looking for a chief rabbi in all the wrong places

By: Nathaniel Moldoff

Nathaniel Moldoff — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:40:07 +0000

Interesting analogy. There are two aspects to address when discussing these figues: the first is what they did, the second is how they thought. Sitruk was a populist who could inspire people by the droves. Just this past summer I attended a shiur he gave for young adults and he fulled an entire ballroom with a young and enthusiastic crowd. However, he's theologically very conservative and not very open to modern society. Bernheim added intellectual vigor and built a strong pubic image for the French Rabbinate both within the community and to the outside world, particularly due to his more liberal theology and openness to the secular world and philosophy, but he doesn't have the popular support like Sitruk did. I also recently attended a shiur Bernheim gave at the Synagogue de la Victoire and the room was maybe 1/3 filled and the average age was 65. Tying it in to Great Britain – Bernheim and Sacks are cut of the same cloth. They have the same polished, intellectual aura, but don't inspire people to return to traditional Judaism en masse. What Great Britain needs is someone who can inspire people by the droves, like Sitruk, but is also more liberal and willing to challenge the Bet Din, like Bernheim. A tall order indeed.

By: Raphael Judas Kaufmann

Raphael Judas Kaufmann — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 07:58:28 +0000

כל דבר בעתו. French Chief Rabbi Sitruk in the 80/90's was not a outstanding thinker but a pragmatic and inspirational rabbi who helped and accompanied Jewish revival for almost 20 years. He laid the ground for the current chief rabbi Rav Bernheim, an extremely talented Jewish thinker and highly regarded rabbi inside and outside the Jewish community. What is needed in the UK for the next 15 years is a Rav Sitruk rather than a Rav Bernheim.

By: Raphael Judas Kaufmann

Raphael Judas Kaufmann — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 07:39:12 +0000

Campus widespread antisemitism is rightly identified by Schmuley Boteach as a key issue that deserves a greater involvement on the part of local and chief rabbis. What I saw and heard on campus in Manchester made me sick. Thank God, Manchester University has a great Dean but rabbis are nowhere to be seen or heard when students seek support. The Hillel House is a run down blockhaus.

By: Toby Klein Greenwald

Toby Klein Greenwald — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 06:19:37 +0000

"That ship has long since sailed" etc…The man doth protest too much, methinks.

By: Harlan Kilstein

Harlan Kilstein — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 04:05:11 +0000

After your pathetic thrashing in your run for office in which you wasted so much money just to feed your ego. He's back! That's right Michael Jackson's Rebbe and Rosh Yeshiva is here to comment on the British Chief Rabbi problem. I can't believe your name was ever in candidacy. You're just an egotistical clown. Shmully never had a problem seeing his name in print. The great ego strikes again.

By: Yonaton Behar

Yonaton Behar — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 21:13:25 +0000

"persuading families to have more children and Jews abroad to emigrate to the UK"? Shmuly, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought God wanted us to live in ISRAEL and not the UK?

By: Richard Smith

Richard Smith — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 08:32:56 +0000

At a dinner party of English people: Sarah: ''Oh dear, what is the capital of France , Nigel? It has slipped my mind for some reason''… Nigel: ''Well, goodness me , I'm not sure either. How about you , Charles? Any idea?'' Charles: '' Hmm, could it be Paris perhaps? I mean I'm not saying it IS Paris , but it might be. Perhaps Emma has some idea '' Emma: '' Paris? I think it might be. But I'm a complete ninny when it comes to geography.''.

By: Richard Smith

Richard Smith — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:49:31 +0000

If any man embodies all the attributes which would mark him off as being ''definitely not English'' and ''guaranteed to inspire intense distaste in a typical Englishman'' it must be Rabbi Boteach. Unsurprisingly ,( going by the impression of over-weaning self-regard evident in most of his writings) Rabbi Boteach seems to feel that the ideal candidate for Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth would be somebody just like , well… er Rabbi Boteach. In other words, someone from whom the British public at large would recoil in absolute horror if not revulsion. It is hard to believe that Rabbi Boteach lived for ten years in England without learning the first thing about what it means to be British.

By: Herbert Kaine

Herbert Kaine — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 02:23:31 +0000

England doesn't need a chief rabbi because the community of the UK has the dwindles and will soon resemble that of Egypt. However, Scotland needs a chief rabbi to supervise the production of double malt scotch.

By: Meir Moses

Meir Moses — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 01:44:18 +0000

Boteach said: "The same cannot be said of Anglo-Jewry where Rabbi Sacks’s tenure has been marked by constant strife between orthodox and liberal." This statement indicates that you don't get it. Lord Sacks doesn't want conflict – he simply cannot be seen to be reaching out to other communities as the Beth Din will cut him down. Lord Sacks no longer even attends Limmud because he is restrained ideologically.

By: Meir Moses

Meir Moses — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 01:39:07 +0000

The problem is of course the Beth Din. The Chief Rabbi needs to not only represent the Community but effectively is subservient to the Beth Din. The UK Beth Din is deeply conservative, reactionary even and unwilling to budge on critical issues such as that of the Agunot, the Conversion process, Israel (Gateshead is not exactly vocal on Zionism) and other social issues in which the CR has lost ground and faith in the eyes of his constituents. Remember the balagan when Lord Sacks expounded on the status of Gentiles as equally deserving of God's grace & redemption? Solution: There should not really a CR – just an executive body.

By: Paul Turner

Paul Turner — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:37:15 +0000

< In the UK, a boycott of this nature by mainstream rabbis is a non-starter, even though, compared to much of the UK press, The New York Times is not as bad.>.

I would love to see the evidence to support that throwaway comment about the UK press.

By: Paul Turner

Paul Turner — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:37:15 +0000

< In the UK, a boycott of this nature by mainstream rabbis is a non-starter, even though, compared to much of the UK press, The New York Times is not as bad.>.

I would love to see the evidence to support that throwaway comment about the UK press.

By: Catherine White

Catherine White — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:33:38 +0000

My responses to the author are mixed, but I often glean more from the commentary than the op-ed. Your reasoned opinion means very little when tainted with such sneering sarcasm. Poor form indeed.

By: Dov Blair Epstein

Dov Blair Epstein — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 17:44:21 +0000

"…to rescue the community from terminal decline." Seriously? how about to lead the dying community to Israel? Britain's and europeean Jews days are numbered. But, somehow SB wants to save American marriage values, and British 'values"…what the heck, he makes a nice living. SB's name had been "mooted" for this job, and looks like he's not a contender…alikely story..so, throw out the sour grapes, and let them sort it out. I know, "In the days when I was at Oxford.." Oh really, that's so old. sheesh. they don't want you to lead them in NJ, and also, England. Well, that only leaves Israel, I guess…and Oprah isn't on any more.time to recreate yourself into an Oleh chadash.