Mizrachi Rabbis Web-Portal

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Introduction - Eliezer Sheffer

When I first thought of the idea for the "World Council of Mizrachi Rabbis", I pictured the founders of the Mizrachi Movement (short for "spiritual center" in Hebrew) who had gathered in Vilna in 1902, headed by Rabbi Yitzchak Ya'akov Reines z"l. They compiled "Kol Hakoreh" (Voice of the Reader) which detailed the vision, goals and purposes of the Mizrachi movement :

• To guide the hearts of the people of Israel towards Zion and Jerusalem .
• To teach our brethren that Torah and Zion are two holy concepts which complement each other and are essential components of one another.
• To impart the message of Judaism upon Zionism and to strengthen and broaden religious feelings within Zionism.
• To spread the spirit of Zionism to all our brethren around the world.
• To educate our sons and daughters in the way of Torah and good deeds.

As a participant in the founding meeting of Mizrachi, Rabbi Yehuda Leib HaCohen (Fishman) Maimon z"l described the atmosphere as an uplifting spiritual experience and also listed a series of Rabbis who attended the meeting – Rabbi Pinchas Rosowski, Rabbi Shmuel Yaacov Rabinowitz, Rabbi Avraham Yaacov Slotski, the historian Rabbi Zeev Yaabetz who compiled "Kol Hakoreh"; as well as several community heads. When comparing the participants of the second Mizrachi conference in 1903, it was attended by Torah sages and heads of several Yeshivot, many of whom had written Torah and Halacha books. The leadership of Mizrachi at that time made its mark and influenced the future generations of religious Zionists.

Over the years, the leadership of World Mizrachi and the heads of its international branches have been taken over by important laymen; while the impact and guidance of the Rabbis has dwindled.

In Israel , there is an entire generation of Rabbis and heads of Yeshivot who identify with the basic worldview and way of life of religious Zionism; however in the Diaspora the situation is different. Due to a lack of educational, organizational, public and spiritual infrastructure and support for religious Zionism in the Diaspora Jewish communities, a core of Rabbis who identify with the Mizrachi movement has not developed in the Diaspora. In many countries and especially America , supporters of Mizrachi identify with what is known as "modern Orthodoxy". This is a concept which is not recognized nor accepted by many Rabbis in the rest of the world, who identify with and who are committed to the State of Israel as a Jewish state. These Rabbis encourage Aliya to Israel , assist in receiving donations for Torah institutions and charitable organizations in Israel , yet they manage to lead independent religious lives without the need for external labels.

The initiative to establish the "World Council of Mizrachi Rabbis" is intended to return to our former glory and to perceive Rabbis as the spiritual leaders of Mizrachi. These Rabbis need to take it upon themselves to spread the ideas of religious Zionism to their communities, based on the same visionary principles and goals which were formulated by the founders and which are still as relevant today.

The Rabbis which attended the Founding Conference from Jewish communities in America, Canada, Europe, South America and Australia; and Rabbis who informed in writing of their wish to join the "World Council of Mizrachi Rabbis" from around the world, they are testimony of the need to establish Torah and spiritual leadership, because the Rabbis in the Diaspora are extremely influential within their communities.

Things that were said in the Founding Conference to establish a World Council of Mizrachi Rabbis.