Home Home / Exchange with Abraham Jhirad about Assuming OU Executive Director Position and Education in India (1961)

Correspondence

November 1961

Exchange with Abraham Jhirad about Assuming OU Executive Director Position and Education in India (1961)

Who Is a Jew? India

1. R. Lamm to Abraham Jhirad

1. R. Lamm to Abraham Jhirad (Nov. 1, 1961)

1. R. Lamm to Abraham Jhirad (Nov. 1, 1961)

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Exchange with Abraham Jhirad about Ban on Marriage with Bene Israel (1961)

Dear Sir(s), I am directed to forward herewith a copy of resolution adopted by the Executive of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of India at their meeting held on Wednesday the 17th May 1961 for information. Yours faithfully, A.D Jhirad, Jt. Hon. Secretary. True Copy of Resolution Adopted by the Executive of the Union of Orthodox Jewish congregations of India on 17th May 1961: "The Executive of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of India views with grave concern and horror the news item appearing in the Local Press regarding the origin of the Indian Jews, especially of Bombay region and expresses its great resentment at the decision of the Israel Jewish Religious Authorities to brand the Indian Jews as Impure Jews and refusing to grant them licences for marriage with other Jewish Communities in Israel.The Executive is convinced that it is the faithful observance of religious precepts and not any organised Indian Council of Rabbis which constitutes a pure Jew.The executive hopes that the Government of Israel will initiate steps to remove the stigma on Indian Jews forthwith both in the interest of truth and also maintenance of cordial relations between the Jews of India and Israel" .President of Israel.Prime Minister of Israel.Minister of Religions.Consul General of Israel in India.Chief Rabbi of England.Haham S. Gaon, London.Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America.President, Rabbinical Council of America.Central Jewish Board, Bombay – with a request that a general meeting of the Community to register mass protest be convened immediately.Prof. Haim Ezekiel, Israel.All Local News Papers.Rabbi N. LammRabbi Charles Weinberg.All Synagogues.
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Exchange with Abraham Jhirad about Recruiting Rabbi for India (1961)

Dear Rabbi, Your Berakha for the New Year shall go a long way in giving me courage and strength to work hard for the noble cause of strengthening authentic Judaism in the ancient Jewish community of India. By the grace of the Almighty, we received most valuable guidance from you in a number of our problems – religious and otherwise – and we feel confident we shall receive the same עד עולם. Together with my letter of June 25, 1961, I had forwarded copies of my letters to Dr. Weiss and Dr. Tartakower, with regards to the deputation of an Israel Rabbi to India. It appears from Dr. Tartakower's letter of October 20, 1961 (copy enclosed) that possibly no correspondence was entered into by the UOJCA with Rabbi Nissim on this issue. As a matter of fact, I was under the impression that you or Dr. Weiss would probably discuss this business with Rabbi Nissim during your visit to Israel for the conference. As you know, if the UOJCA is to be on a sounder religious footing, the presence of a Rabbi is most necessary. Dr. Weiss, I understand, is on a tour and all matters are now being handled by Mr. Feuerstein. Could you kindly request Mr. Feuerstein to move the Overseas Commission to consider whether it will be feasible for them to accept Rabbi Nissim's offer? I am sure the Jewish Agency in Israel would be prepared to share the expenditure with the UOJCA. (A copy of my letter to Mr. Feuerstein is enclosed).We have had no word from Rabbi Gotthold, but I am given to understand by Samuel's father that Samuel is now admitted to the Yeshiva with effect from August 1, 1961 for the regular course. The Tefillin (money for which Mr. Max Stern so kindly procured from his friend) are not yet received, and there is absolutely no news about them.I am also awaiting the decision of the Overseas Commission with regards to the Hebrew and Religion classes we have started and we propose to start.Mebasser’s October issue also could not be published for lack of funds.Mr. Penkar has submitted a schem…
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Correspondence

Exchange with R. Gotthold about the Israeli Rabbinate and Recruiting a Rabbi for India (1961)

Dear Rabbi Gotthold: I have not yet received any direct reply from you to my previous communications, but I do want to add my own comments to the recent correspondence between yourself and Dr. Weiss. Please forgive me if my expressions are sometimes harsh; they are not, however, inaccurate. I had all my life been led to expect a certain level of conduct from the halakhic authorities of our people, especially in the Holy Land. When such expectations are frustrated, the reaction cannot and should not be one of passive acceptance. The fact remains that when I spoke to Rabbi Nissim on behalf of the Rabbinical Council of America and the U.O.J.C.A., and emphasized the critical nature of the problem, his response was one of cold, and even a bit callous, indifference. The Indian Jews did not matter all too much, since the Halakhah was the Halakhah. He made this even to the point that he would not prevent any local Beth Din from coming to a valid halakhic decision, and that if Rabbi Rozovsky would publish his essay, and other leading Rabbis would agree with it and dissenting from Rabbis making intercourse with the Benei Israel, he would have no comments. Otherwise, he assured me, there were his things he was going to do. Since then I have been in contact with Rabbi Rozovsky, with Rabbi Unterman, and with Rabbi Kahaneman. The first two have never bothered to answer my letters. The third has thus far not informed me whether or not he has succeeded in prevailing upon Rabbi Rozovsky to publish his essay. In other words, if it was only an Orthodox rabbi requesting a ruling on a matter of major importance to some twenty thousand of our poor and uninfluential fellow Jews, not only was his request not honored, but his letters went unanswered. When, however, the secularists make one solitary move, then the whole structure of the Israeli Rabbinate begins to tremble. Goldmann winks, a Mapam member of Knesset makes a speech, and the Rabbinate is all ears. Rabbi Nissim is suddenly made…
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