See: BBC - Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis is installed as UK chief rabbi
Also: BBC - Chief Rabbi designate Ephraim Mirvis: 'The challenges are enormous'
Britain's new
chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, who has vowed to remain traditional by
barring women rabbis and same-sex marriage, was sworn in on Sunday to face the
challenge of uniting the nation's polarized Jewish community.
About 1,400
guests, including Britain's heir apparent Prince Charles, attended a ceremony
at a north London synagogue as Mirvis replaced the respected Jonathan
Sacks after 22 years as the leading spokesman for British Jews.
"A warm
welcome to new @chiefrabbi Mirvis & my thanks to Lord Sacks for special
contribution he made to our whole country as #ChiefRabbi," Prime Minister
David Cameron tweeted.
South
African-born Mirvis, 56, becomes head of Britain's largest Jewish denomination,
but his synagogue network and other mainstream Orthodox make up only half of
the 260,000-strong UK Jewish community, the world's fifth and Europe's second
largest.
As titular head of British Jews, Mirvis faces the same problems confronting the Church of England, such as falling congregations and the challenge of making traditional religion relevant in a modern consumer society.
As titular head of British Jews, Mirvis faces the same problems confronting the Church of England, such as falling congregations and the challenge of making traditional religion relevant in a modern consumer society.
He signaled the
orthodox United Synagogue would retain its traditionalist stance on same-sex
marriage, which is at odds with rabbis in the Liberal and Reform synagogues at
the forefront of the campaign for same-sex marriage.
"We have a
clear Biblical definition of marriage, which is the union of one man and one
woman, and through that we value traditional family life," Mirvis said in
a BBC interview ahead of Sunday's ceremony.
As for the possibility of women rabbis, he responded: "In our tradition, men have occupied that role, and that is the format for Orthodox congregations".
As for the possibility of women rabbis, he responded: "In our tradition, men have occupied that role, and that is the format for Orthodox congregations".
Mirvis is
expected to tread a careful course to try to bring the various streams of
British Judaism closer.
Rabbis in the
liberal-leaning Reform movement have urged Mirvis to abandon the title of chief
rabbi and instead call himself the chief Orthodox rabbi to more accurately
reflect his position and as a gesture to growing progressive congregations.
Progressive
synagogues now account for around a third of all Jewish congregations in
Britain.
The rapidly
growing ultra-Orthodox or Haredi communities make up much of the rest and they
also do not consider the United Synagogue head as their chief rabbi.
But Mirvis, who
won plaudits for being the first United Synagogue rabbi to host an address by
an imam, has shown no inclination to change his title and has declined to break
tradition and visit a on-Orthodox synagogue.
Is that legal? Do we still have the right to deny a same sex couple to be married in a synagogue? Was an hotelier not found guilty and fined for refusing to allow a gay couple to share a room?
ReplyDeleteDoes not equal rights make it illegal to refuse women ordination?
The reform and liberal movements have an openly naked agenda to wrest the authority and representation of Anglo Jewry away from the orthodox. Within the US itself, increasing laxity in observance and more secular standards are spreading within the community. It is only the ever increasing population of the ultra-orthodox, the charedim, that can be ignored. They have no wish to mix with the rest of society, even the poisoned pen of Benjamin Yitzchok has been silenced, and under its current leadership, any criticism-even if understood-can be ignored, as they have sufficient cleaning up to take care of.
The Chief Rabbi Mirvis faces many minefields and pitfalls ahead of him, just in maintaining the status quo. We wish him much good fortune and a כתיבה וחתימה טובה
The gay marriage act includes that it is forbidden to take place in any Church of England building and any religious group has the full right to refuse to peform such marriages. At present only Quakers and Reform and Liberal Jews are willing to offer same sex religious marriages. In the Church of England women cannot be appointed bishops and gay clergy are expected to be celibate. Kosher and Halal slaughter is exempt from stunning animnals before slaughter. Non-medical circumcision is permitted for bris milah. Generally British Law respects religious faith.
DeleteHe may not visit a non-Orthodox temple but will he go to visit Menachem Mendel Levy?
ReplyDeleteMML, is a member of a UOHC affiliated synagogue. It is not the job of the Chief Rabbi to visit every Jewish inmate.
DeleteI am most certain that if there was something that needed to be done to help this or any other inmate, and the chief's influence could assist in a manner that no one else could, that Rb Mirvis will do all in his power and flex all his influence, to help.