First appearance of Chief Rabbi: Torah convention in Chabad

Following criticism: the Chief Rabbi, Hagaon R' David Lau, canceled his plan to take a private week's holiday abroad.

Against the cancellation, this afternoon he is expected to appear in first public appearance since he was elected, at the national Yarchei Kallah event to be held at the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Kfar Chabad, and say words of Torah and blessing.

The decision to cancel the trip came after the newspaper Ma'ariv reported criticism, as as it were, against the rabbi, due to his intention to go on vacation for a week abroad, a few days after taking office. The newspaper cited anonymous sources in the Chief Rabbinate, who said: "Rabbi Lau's conduct reminds that of the former Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger. It's all very puzzling, the entire rabbinate is awaiting his new policy after all the promises he made during the election campaign, and in the end he takes off abroad a minute after he was elected. This conduct does no honor to the rabbinate. Probably what was will be. "

Rabbi Lau's office responded to Ma'ariv: "The Rabbi plans to go on a private holiday abroad to recover the tense weeks of the election. One has to remember that unlike other elections, the entry into the Chief Rabbinate is immediate, without an adjustment, recovery or overlap period. Therefore, after a series of meetings held by the rabbi from Thursday until this evening, he will go for a short vacation of a week at most. Of course the private vacation is financed from the Rabbi's own pocket".

Aides of the Rabbi stress that the vacation was not canceled following criticism of the media, but because the rabbi went into his office last night and realized how much work lay before him, work which would not allow him go now on the planned vacation.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!