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UAE chief rabbi creates new prayer to celebrate first anniversary of Abraham Accords

Noga Martin — Sun, 08 Aug 2021 08:25:15 +0000

As the world marks the first anniversary of the Abraham Accords, the Chief Rabbinate of the United Arab Emirates has created a special prayer for synagogues around the world to mark the historic occasion. The prayer will be distributed to more than 1,000 synagogues around the world, including those associated with the Rabbinical Council of America.

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On August 13, 2020, the United Arab Emirates and Israel announced that they would be establishing relations. Less than a month later, on Sept. 11, 2020, Bahrain followed suit. On Sept. 15, 2020, the three countries signed the Abraham Accords Declaration, which stated their recognition of "the importance of maintaining and strengthening peace in the Middle East and around the world based on mutual understanding and coexistence, as well as respect for human dignity and freedom, including religious freedom."

"This is a prayer for the region as a whole and focuses on the shared blessings we all hope for – empowered youth, good health and blooming deserts," said UAE Chief Rabbi Yehuda Sarna. "It is a prayer for all of the children of Abraham, be they from Sarah, Hagar or Keturah."

"We are very excited to celebrate the first anniversary with the rest of the region and prayer is one way we can do that," said Senior Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie. "Our community has had the opportunity to host many Emiratis for Shabbat over the last year and we have had dynamic conversations about our commonalities and what unites us. This prayer furthers that."

Those wishing to view the prayer can do so by visiting: https://shaareimizrah.ae/assets/files/Prayer-fortheAbrahamicFamily.pdf.

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Israel's chief rabbi signals he may support synagogue closures on Yom Kippur

ErezL — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 15:11:08 +0000

Israel's Chief Rabbi David Lau hinted on Wednesday that he would support closing synagogues on Yom Kippur if health officials decide "it's the right thing to do."

Despite a general lockdown in place for nearly a week, the country's religious community has so far protested against the possibility of closing places of worship or banning public prayers, owing to disobey health restrictions if the government closed synagogues during high holiday period.

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While Rabbi Lau told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that the religious public will not obey the guidelines until similar restrictions are placed on protesters, he now appears to have backtracked on the demand.

Religious leaders have balked at the suggestion that synagogues be closed while protesters are allowed to continue gathering in the thousands, mainly outside the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem to protest Netanyahu's handling of the coronavirus pandemic along with his corruption trial.

The development comes as the country broke a record of daily infections with nearly 7,000 new cases being identified on Tuesday alone, according to the latest data released by the Health Ministry.

The religious leader thus indicated that he would support the closing of synagogues "if the medical authorities decide that it can considerably reduce risk and save lives."

Netanyahu was expected to push for a tightening of containment at a coronavirus cabinet meeting Wednesday afternoon, and would even consider declaring a state of emergency in the country.

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This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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Should COVID-19 postpone weddings? Chief rabbi sorts out halachic mess

ErezL — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 13:21:06 +0000

A day after Israeli authorities announced aggressive measures aimed at containing the coronavirus outbreak in the country, including a prohibition on gatherings exceeding 100 people, Israelis found themselves with more questions than answers.

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Those who regularly attend synagogue and who planned to hold a religious celebration in the coming days were particularly worried, as the new restrictions could severely disrupt their way of life.

As a result, Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau issued on Thursday new guidelines aimed at providing some answers to perplexed Israelis who want to uphold their daily religious duties even as they abide by the governmental edicts.

"Everyone must make sure to be safe and must be extra vigilant not to pose a danger to others," Lau said in an online video. "We must follow the various guidelines, even if they are a burden."

Lau said minyans (the religious quorums) should not exceed 100 people, and if the place is particularly crowded, the minyan should be split into several groups who would pray separately and at different times.

People who are in self-isolation should not go to synagogue, and try to synchronize their at-home prayers with the rest of the congregants.

Torah-study sessions should not be canceled, the rabbi said, and various yeshivas should remain open, although abide by the 100-people cap.

Of particular concern is the issue of weddings. The rabbis said that Jewish weddings should not be canceled because they are very important, but the number of attendees must be scaled down.

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UK chief rabbi: Despite election, anti-Semitism and bigotry remain challenges

Noga Martin — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 12:01:49 +0000

Despite the results of Thursday's British Parliament elections, challenges in combating bigotry and hatred in the United Kingdom continue, British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said Friday.

"The elections may be over, but concerns about the resurgence of anti-Semitism remain," Mirvis said in a statement.

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"Islamophobia, racism, and other forms of prejudice continue to afflict our communities and, as has been well-publicized, even our political parties," he said.

"It is vital that we now bring the country together, ensuring that the voices of people from across our society are heard and respected. We must focus on our shared values and leave all hatred and prejudice far behind us," Mirvis added.

Outgoing Labor party leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose party was soundly defeated in Thursday's vote, has been criticized for years for having allowed anti-Semitism to flourish in the party ranks under his stewardship.

Last month, Mirvis denounced Corbyn as unfit to be prime minister, lamenting "a new poison – sanctioned from the top – has taken root in the Labour Party."

Following the results of Thursday's election, which saw the Conservatives' Boris Johnson win in a landslide, Board of Deputies of British Jews President Marie van der Zyl called for swift action to be taken to restore the Jewish community's faith in Britain's main opposition party.

"We urge the next leader of the Labour Party to act quickly to implement the steps repeatedly recommended by groups representing British Jews and to finally begin to resolve this crisis," she added.

In a concession speech, Corbyn said that he intended to step down as leader of Labour, but did not specify an exact date.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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Jerusalem's chief rabbi: Israel must help Palestinians arrested for selling land to Jews

website — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 22:00:00 +0000

The chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Jerusalem has made an unusual halachic ruling that Israel has an obligation to do everything possible to help free Palestinians who have been imprisoned for selling land to Israelis.

In a letter to Brig. Gen. (res.) Baruch Yedid, head of the Arab Affairs desk at the Zionist movement Im Tirtzu, Rabbi Aryeh Stern wrote that it was as important to free Palestinians jailed for that reason as it was to free imprisoned Jews.

Palestinian law bars selling land to "a hostile state or any of its citizens," and requires the permission of the Palestinian Authority for all land sales in east Jerusalem.

In early October, east Jerusalem resident Issam Akel, 53, was arrested by the Palestinian General Security Service on suspicion that he had sold land to Israelis. In response to Akel's arrest, Israel arrested the governor of the Jerusalem District of the Palestinian Authority, Adnan Ghaith, and another senior Palestinian security official.

Last week, Palestinian real estate agent Ahmad Salameh, suspected by Palestinian authorities of acting as an intermediary in selling West Bank lands to Israelis, was fatally shot on his own doorstep. He was evacuated to Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, where doctors declared him dead.

"The Gemara [Talmud] and Jewish law have taught us that poor Gentiles need to make a living just like poor Jews, and it must be said that this is the rule according to which Gentile prisoners should be freed just like Jewish prisoners, and it is already known that the commandment to free prisoners is considered a most important one," Stern wrote.

"Efforts must be made to free the abducted [Issam Akel], because he is suspected of selling property to Jews, and anyone who deals with that plays a part in the commandment to settle the land of Israel. Efforts to secure his release will encourage others not to be deterred or refrain from selling land, because they will know that they will be protected from anyone who seeks to harm them."

Yedid welcomed the chief rabbi's letter, saying, "This is a step of historic and national significance, a brave step on the rabbi's part. For the first time, a major figure in the rabbinical institution is intervening on behalf of the Palestinians who have become hunted targets for the PA in the capital.

"We can only hope that words will lead to action and the rest of the authorities in Israel will act in this spirit and put an end to Palestinian lawlessness in Jerusalem. The authorities must provide protection to residents of Israel and demonstrate de facto sovereignty," Yedid wrote.

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