Reconciliation meeting • Shas rabbis met with 'Amalekite' rabbis

Last weekend, religious Zionist rabbis met in Jerusalem with haredi Sephardic rabbis for a reconciliation conference.

The conference was initiated Shomron Regional Council head, Gershon Mesika, who is close to Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and Rabbi Eliakim Levanon, and possibly this conference had set the ground for the words of reconciliation of Harav Ovadia last night (Saturday), in favor of the knitted kippas.

Participants included: Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu - rabbi of Safed and the religious-Zionist candidate for position of Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Haim Drukman - Chairman of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva and former head of the conversion array, and Rabbi Eliakim Levanon – Rav of Samaria Regional Council, member of the Judea and Samaria Council.

More:
• Harav Ovadia Yosef: "Rabbi Shalom did not mean knitted kippot"
• Naftali Bennett hits at Shas rabbis: "Shame on you. Enough!"
• Chacham Shalom Cohen attacked: "Knitted kippot are Amalek. These are Jews?" • Watch

Attended from the haredi side: Rabbi Reuven Elbaz Rosh Yeshiva of Ohr Hachaim, Rabbi Baruch Shraga - Av Beis Din of Jerusalem, Rabbi Yitzchak Cohen Rav of Shmuel Hanavi neighborhood and Rabbi Meir Mazuz Rav of Ramat Eshkol neighborhood.

Mesika's office reported that the purpose of the meeting was reconciliation. It was decided at the meeting between the parties to stop the discourse of hatred. Both the Zionist and haredi parties agreed not to proceed with this type of talk.

In a document summarizing the meeting, the rabbis wrote: "The first step which was decided is to call for sterilization and cleaning the atmosphere, the rabbis called on all talmidei chachamim, Maranan Verabanan, to watch out for offending expressions, avoid names, and to have respect for one another. When the world of Torah will act with respect to each other, the ground will be set for agreements on all issues in dispute."

Haredi rabbis explained that the haredi public is currently in great distress due to pressure on the Torah world as a result of budgets and the recruit decree. They defined the reality and said that "we are struck with one blow after the other."

In the meeting it was decided to extend the meetings and to hold meetings with Litvishe public rabbis too. It was also decided to create unity among haredi rabbis and Zionists and to hold frequent meetings for discussing common issues.

Messika explained the background to the move: "Recently expressions of the haredi-Sephardi public have increased against religious Zionism, I believe that we are brothers and we have much in common, especially when we are close to Tisha B'Av we have to make every effort to increase the joint. Accordingly we worked to bring together senior religious Zionist rabbis and senior haredi Sephardic rabbis. "


Rabbi Ratzon Arussi with Hagr"y Edelstein

Meanwhile, on Friday afternoon, a meeting was held at the home of Rabbi Yaakov Edelstein Shlita, Chief Rabbi of Ramat Hasharon and a member of the electoral body, and Rabbi Dr. Ratzon Arussi of Kiryat Ono and a candidate for the throne of Chief Sephardi Rabbi.

According to the associates of the Rav, at the meeting Harav Edelstein expressed his support for Rabbi Arussi to serve as the next Rishon Letzion and stated that he will do everything to convince other members of the electoral body to support the Rav.

According to sources at the headquarters, R' Aharon Leib Steinman also did not express any support for Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, and refused to issue a letter of support for him.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!