Rabbinical Center of Europe

Last updated
Rabbinical Center of Europe
Formation2000;24 years ago (2000)
Founder Gershon Mendel Garelik (among others)
Legal statusNon-profit foundation [1]
Headquarters Brussels, Belgium
Secretary General
Menachem Margolin
Websitewww.rce.eu.com

The Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE) is an international rabbinical organization for Europe, which encompasses more than 1,000 community rabbis from across the continent. [2]

Contents

The organization is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, and maintains a satellite office in Jerusalem. It is led by the Secretary General, Menachem Margolin. [3]

History

Increasing tensions and religious disputes between various Chabad rabbis and shluchim led to the creation of the organization, which sought to create a better organized authority for European Chabad Jewry. Among the founders of the organization are Gershon Mendel Garelik, [4] Hillel Pewsner, Berel Lazar, Azriel Chaikin, [5] and David Moshe Lieberman  [ he ], [6] rabbis leading various communities across Europe. The organization was created to compete with the Conference of European Rabbis, although there is large overlap between membership and reach of the two.

Mission and activities

The organization's purpose is to convene in rabbinical gatherings, overseeing historic cemeteries, [7] and assisting in building mikvehs and being an authority for maintaining and assessing Jewish resources across the European continent. [3] There are annual conferences for rabbis to convene, [8] and ones held that deal with issues of kashrut and are attended by delegations from across Europe, [9] as well as a delegation of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, in which one of the Chief Rabbis attends. [10]

The organization maintains contact with various governments in Europe to promote Jewish religious interests for the Jewish populations of those countries, and many delegations have met with diplomats, prime ministers, and presidents. [11]

The organization occasionally gives out humanitarian awards, [12] including to then-President of the European Commission Romano Prodi in 2004. [13] The RCE has also engaged in activism to defend circumcision, [14] having been vocal during attempts to ban the practice in Germany. [15] [16] They additionally have protested against the banning of ritual slaughter necessary for the koshering of meat, as was done in Denmark in 2014. [17]

In 2006, the organization announced a major project to establish 25 mikvehs across Europe with a budget of €1,500,000. [18] The project concluded six years later, and it was annouced that another 25 would be established by the end of 2008. Since the 2000s, more projects have been planned and coordinated for mikvehs including a 2013 proposal to build another 30. [19]

In 2023, the organization was widely criticized by activists and other organizations for its refusal to recognize the Armenian Genocide. [20] [21] In a response to the criticism by Armenian organizations, the Center criticized their use of rhetoric labelling The Republic of Artsakh as a "ghetto," stating "belittling the extent of the Jewish people’s suffering to further any political interest through incessantly using phrases associated with the Holocaust suffered by the Jewish people." [22]

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References

  1. ↑ "RABBINICAL CENTER OF EUROPE | because.eu". Because it Matters: King Baudouin Foundation. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  2. ↑ "Rabbinical Centre of Europe". EJA - European Jewish Association. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  3. 1 2 Carmel, Philip (11 May 2005). "In EU capita, Chabad wields great influence" . St. Louis Jewish Light . pp. A12. Retrieved 1 Sep 2024.
  4. ↑ "A Torah is Dedicated by Jews of the European Union". Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters. 2004-09-20. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  5. ↑ "Jewish News". Jewish News From Austria. Jun 2004. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  6. ↑ "Elder Rav of Europe, HaGaon HaRav Dovid Moshe Lieberman zt"l". Rabbinical Center of Europe. 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  7. ↑ "האם ברומניה סוחרים בעצמות של יהודים? - וואלה חדשות". וואלה (in Hebrew). 2009-06-29. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  8. ↑ Nachsoni, Kobi (2009-03-03). "הרב לאו נגד ברית הזוגיות: רוצים מדינה יהודית". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  9. ↑ "Major kosher conference focuses on intersection of Jewish law and technology". www.israelnationalnews.com. 29 Mar 2022. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  10. ↑ Nachsoni, Kobi (2009-10-27). "רבני אירופה: להוזיל מחיר הכשרות ביבשת". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  11. ↑ "Hungary's PM meets with Jewish leaders amid anti-Semitism fears". Times of Israel . 6 Jul 2017. Retrieved 1 Sep 2024.
  12. ↑ "Rabbis seek to restore Jewish life" . Miami Herald . 2 Feb 2004. p. 17. Retrieved 1 Sep 2024.
  13. ↑ "Rabbis Grant Prodi 'Humanitarian Achievement' Award". Haaretz . 2 Feb 2004. Retrieved 1 Sep 2024.
  14. ↑ Sokol, Sam (2014-03-24). "Russian Chief Rabbi calls circumcision opponents anti-Semites". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  15. ↑ Dempsey, Judy (17 Sep 2012). "Germany, Jews and Muslims, and Circumcision". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  16. ↑ Goldmann, A.J.; Snyder, Donald; Jeffay, Nathan (2013-05-06). "Circumcision Controversy Endangers Fight To Keep Rite Legal in Germany". The Forward. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  17. ↑ Sokol, Sam (2014-03-27). "European Rabbis call Danish shechita ban cover for terrible animal rights record". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  18. ↑ Sheinberger, Avremi (25 May 2006). "פרויקט המקוואות הגדול בעולם". tsofar.com. Archived from the original on 2014-02-02. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  19. ↑ Dvorin, Tova (3 Dec 2013). "30 More Ritual Baths OK'd For Europe". www.israelnationalnews.com. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  20. ↑ Rubin, Michael (11 Sep 2023). "Rabbis' Refusal to Consider Renewed Armenian Genocide Shameful". American Enterprise Institute . Retrieved 1 Sep 2024.
  21. ↑ "Open Letter to the Rabbinical Centre of Europe - Zoryan Institute". zoryaninstitute.org. 2023-09-11. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
  22. ↑ "Armenian leaders slammed by rabbis for using Holocaust rhetoric". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2023-09-09. Retrieved 2024-09-01.
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