LONDON (JTA) — British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis was disinvited from a major event marking the completion of the Daf Yomi cycle, the 7.5-year project of studying a page of the Talmud every day.
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The event, held Tuesday at Wembley Arena in London, was sponsored by the haredi Orthodox group Agudath Yisroel of the United Kingdom.
Mirvis was originally invited to sit on the dais with other prominent rabbis, but the invitation was withdrawn on Monday, the UK Jewish News reported.
Mirvis angered some segments of the Orthodox Jewish community in 2018 when he released a guide for Jewish day schools on how to support their lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. The guide, produced in partnership with the Jewish LGBT group KeshetUK, urged tolerance for students struggling with sexual orientation and gender identity.
The London-based Jewish Chronicle reported that there had been rumors some haredi Orthodox rabbis would boycott the event if Mirvis attended.
A spokesman for the chief rabbi confirmed to both newspapers that the invitation had been rescinded. “How sad that the petty politics of a small minority should distract from what should be a wonderful celebration of Torah,” the spokesman said.
It doesn’t make sense to have someone who publicly has said rulings against the Torah to now come to publicly honor the Torah.
Why should charedi Jews honor someone whose views are antithetical to Torah? That’s like asking Al sharpton to march in a parade protesting anti-Semitism!
right Harry Scary rabbi Marvis is out of the emese Halachik world , WE dont blame a person born that way just like we dont blame a person born witrh a terrible natural perverted nature or a person who loves to steal a kleptomaniac he needs help therapy H made him not himself. But we do blame a person who has Cancer and doesn’t go for help . or a pervert who doesn’t seek therapy.OR an overweight or underweight person now Mervis doesn’t get it if a Mushchos practices his haSHCHASAh he is chaiv korais beyechidus or mesa berabim even if he is a nochree. Hey Rabbi M are you a liberal MO with our strictly conservative halacha . Does your S. A. have a soft or hard cover? they were 100% correct, and now u know it also! CHAZAK VENISCHAZAK VLO CHILLUL HASHEM BERABIM
MERVIS IN HEB IS MEM RAISH BAIZ YUD SAMECH= 312 IM MISPOR KOTON THATS = 6 =SHEKER=6
People like him infuriate his creator by making a mockery of our holy torah….
rabbi mervis At the siyum of toras emes ?????? challilah and chaval emes and sheker has no hemshech at all beolom hatorah , do teshuvah now quicly ,you know the sof is now very very close, chazak venischazak bad amainu ibad orai elohainu
‘PETTY POLOTICS” kORAIUS OF A “SMALL Minority” ur talking of torah meseenai shoteh
Agreed with the decision yet the aguda in the us honored phil murphy who is a toeiva lover at the siyum hashas. Toeiva is a capital crime as bad as pedophilia.
unless some part of the story is missing I am bewildered at all the foolish comments posted here….
No where does it say that Rabbi Mirvis condons or accepts Toeva behavior. He only wrote how those children should be treated. Agudas Yisroel of America also wrote a letter , not condoning Homosexuality, but addressing how we should act towards them. Its no different than a Mechalel Shabbos who we don’t throw stones at, but try to be mekarev him to yidishkeit, and act respectful towards them. THis is nothing knew Aharon Hakohen did it too “Ohave es Habreous umkarvan Ltorah”
I just read some of his statements. He doesn’t condone homosexuality or claim that halachah sanctions it. You can disagree with him, but don’t mischaracterize his views. Moreover, I’ve seen eminent halachic institutions honor people who have truly harmed other people. But I guess HaKesef Yaaneh es HaKol.
The difference is, they first invited him, and then disinvited him; they didn’t give any reason, and he is still The Chief Rabbi in the UK.
He is now making his own Siyum Hashas with the London Beis Din.
It is petty politics again.
Dont invite him only to disinvite him. That is more like kamtza and bar kamza and the fact that it’s now in the news gives the jewish Chronicle more reason to hate the charaidim.
What a bunch of Torah-ignorant lies slandering Rabbi Mirvis.
How do the people writing such things even walk around pretending to be frum?
One can only imagine that the reason their obsessive hate and fear makes them act this way is because they too are internally struggling with such issues.
I am not judging this uk rabbi but we need to start fighting back against these gays. We have to outvote all Democrats and stop being passive. And in Israel as well.
When Jews argue among themselves, their enemies smile.
So they’d disinvite a jew but probably invite a goyishe politician or reformer money bags, thats why the aguda has no cred.
I haven’t read the publication but it appears to advocate for tolerance.
Tolerating a person with that orientation doesn’t mean you agree with or support.
It doesn’t mean you want to overthrow halacha.
It means you empathize, work with, and help.
It mean that you don’t bully or throw them out of school for simply having an orientation.
This is all because of the shidduch crisis. If the Rabbi would of been invited, it could of effected the invitee’s children shidduchim. “You invited that individual with foreign views, we can’t have your child marry into our chashuva mishpacha”.
Very good developement. Mirvis is digusting on this gay thing . Glad they put their foot down and said Odios.
I am disgusted by the anti-Mirvis rhetoric over here.
He wrote a statement. Let us say we disagree with it. Let us claim, for argument’s sake, that we have a different way of dealing with people that are over issurim.
How does a difference of opinion allow for such treatment of a person? Why is his honor hefker just because someone else thinks differently to him?
If we had a Novi, he would have to listen to him. Now we just have a difference of opinion with no absolute proof to either side.
(written by someone with a black hat, a full fledge member of Charedi society)
One wonders about the private lives of some of the commenters here. They really need some compassion. Why does the gay agenda bother them so? Why is this the only aveira to be singled out by people? Beney Noach are equally commanded ודבק באשתו ולא באשת חבירו, yet nobody cares. They all eat lobsters אבר מן החי, yet nobody cares. Why is this תועבה worse than others? A haughty person is a תועבת ה’, a person who cheats in business, in weights and measures or time, is also called a תועבה in the possuk.
Why does this issue bother them so much? Maybe we should suggest some conversion therapy for them? Now that Jonah has closed down, perhaps it is too hard for them.