Tel-Chai Nation

More victims of the Haredi-controlled rabbinate have turned up:

Prominent Montreal rabbi, Adam Scheier, told representatives of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate on Monday that he had been personally hurt by his inclusion on the infamous “blacklist” of 160 Diaspora rabbis whose authority the rabbinate had rejected.

Scheier, along with other North American rabbis, traveled to Israel to take part in a meeting on the matter initiated by MK Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid) and hosted by the Knesset Immigration and Absorption Committee.

Chief Rabbinate Director-General Moshe Dagan reiterated his previous response, saying the list was never intended to be a blacklist, but a list of applications for marriage licenses that were rejected because of unsatisfactory or incomplete processes. “There was no blacklist,” he said heatedly, fending off accusations from many MKs and rabbis in the room. “I’ll say it 10 times.”

The list, he said, was taken out of context and was not against any specific rabbis.

Forget it, we're not buying this pathetic excuse.

Rabbi Scheier, specifically, he said, had sought to marry a divorced woman, but the rabbinate had not received the necessary divorce documents.

“Why do we, rabbis from abroad, need your approval?” asked Rabbi Shlomo Riskin.

“I don’t understand why those who live abroad need to justify themselves,” agreed MK Rachel Azaria (Kulanu), commenting that US Jewry existed before the State of Israel and helped to found it.

Shuki Friedman, director of the Israel Democracy Institute’s Center for Religion, Nation and State, said the Chief Rabbinate of Israel was turning into the “Chief Rabbinate of the World.”

Scheier said the rabbinical group damaged his reputation, even among his own community.

I think it would be a good idea to start taking these matter before the supreme court if they think it could do any good. In any case, I do know most people shouldn't rely on the Law of Return, if that's what they're concerned about, but just apply for standard citizenship. All that aside, it's also offensive how the Haredis running the rabbinate are giving ammunition to potential leftists, and rightists may be failing to address the issues clearly.

Labels: Canada, haredi corruption, Israel, Judaism, Knesset, Moonbattery