Home Home / Exchange with Haham Gaon about Gittin f…

Correspondence

February 1961

Exchange with Haham Gaon about Gittin for Bene Israel (1961)

Combating Assimilation Who Is a Jew? India

1. R. Lamm to Haham Gaon

1. R. Lamm to Haham Gaon (Feb. 6, 1961)

1. R. Lamm to Haham Gaon (Feb. 6, 1961)

View The Text

This content is currently available in its original PDF format. As we expand the library, we plan to add a text version as well.

Next Letter

RELATED CONTENT

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…
Combating Assimilation Who Is a Jew? India

Correspondence

Exchange with R. Sherer about Bene Israel and Marriage (1961)

Dear Reb Nochem: As you were in India, I would appreciate your personal comments on the enclosed brochure which I received in this morning's mail. Many thanks and warmest personal regards. Sincerely yours, Moshe Sherer Rabbi Moshe Sherer Executive Vice-President
Combating Assimilation Who Is a Jew? India

Correspondence

Letter from Haham Gaon about the Status of the Bene Israel (1961)

Dear Rabbi Lamm, I was glad to receive the copy of your letter to Mr. Abraham Jhirad of Bombay. I agree with everything you write. Immediately on the publication of the news that some of our Bnei Israel were not being recognised as Jews in Israel, I cabled to the Chief Rabbinate who assured me that this was not so. They stood by their earlier decision and that was that they leave it to the individual Batei Din to decide on these matters. In the meantime, I have been in touch with Bnei Israel families in London who were very disturbed by the rumours, and I assured them that, as far as our Beth Din, is concerned, they have nothing to worry for themselves or for their children.I think, however, the time has come when perhaps a joint effort should be made by us all in order to urge Israeli Rabbinate to come to a definite solution. The Bnei Israel problem has now become a burning one and almost all the touchstone of good faith, as far as this part of the House of Israel is concerned.I do hope to have the opportunity of seeing you soon and hoping to hear from you on this matter.Yours sincerely,GaonHaham
Combating Assimilation Who Is a Jew? India