New RCA President A Moderate

New Rabbinical Council of America president Rabbi Shmuel Goldin doesn't want to mix into Israel's politics, especially the peace process. He supports diversity in conversions, and he'd like to find a way to admit liberal Modern Orthodox rabbis into the RCA.

 

Larry Yudelson has a nice piece on Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, the RCA's new president, in the New Jersey Jewish Standard:

[Goldin] was effectively removed from the leadership track in the 1990s, when he led an organization — Shvil Hazahav — that pushed back against Orthodox opposition to the Oslo Accords and the government of Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin. Goldin argued that American Jews should not oppose the policies of the Israeli government, a policy he maintains.

Here's what Goldin says about the conversion crisis:

With the [Israel's chief] rabbinate on one side endorsing only the RCA’s converts and procedures, and [ITIM head Rabbi Seth (Shul)] Farber arguing that the rabbinate has no legal right to do so, Goldin thinks Farber is right.

“The current situation that exists vis-a-vis aliyah and the acceptance of candidates for aliyah, that all candidates from Conservative and Reform movement are accepted as Jewish, but within the Orthodox community only some are accepted — that’s not acceptable,” Goldin said. “We have to work out a better system. What has happened is the Jewish Agency, which was always the organization that determined that particular status, handed that over to the [Chief] Rabbinate. The Rabbinate was looking for a central address and the RCA was the natural central address. That’s how the problem developed. I agree with Seth that we have to develop a solution to that. He is doing a wonderful job as far as I’m concerned, enhancing the ability of converts to access a difficult system in Israel, and I think we should support his work. I will consider him an ally during my tenure.”

Goldin also wants to reach out to non-Orthodox movements and find ways to work with them:

“There are certain things we can do with the other denominations,” he said. “We have to see where we can work together. Where we disagree, we have to do so without acrimony, without demonizing each other. I want to sit down with the leaders of the non-Orthodox community, as I have done in the past on a personal level.”

And he wants to find a way to admit graduates of  the liberal Modern Orthodox yeshiva, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah into the RCA:

“One of the possibilities would be to create a membership track based not only on the smicha, the ordination, that the candidates get, but on their track record in the field.” 

You can read it all here.

Comments

[itchiemayer]

I'm sorry, but a lot of these YCT guys are flakes.

[Yissy-Ca]

He should hire amsellem in israel and really straighten out things.

[Bassy the Haredi Slayer]

How is going to work together with the Tropper worshiper Executive VP Basil Herring. Herring is known to send Troper admiration letters and to suck his dick.

[Yochanan Lavie]

I still say Basil Herring is a name out of Monty Python (or Fawlty Towers).

[who knows]

I'm not quite sure that his position vis a vis converts is moral. He is only unhappy that Orthodox converts are treated worse than Conservative and Reform ones for the purposes of immigration to Israel. On the other hand, in cases when they are treated very badly(in cases of marriage or burial for example)but the same as non-orthodox converts, he has no problem.

[ruthie]

it's all a sweet mess, isn't it?
here we have this guy confusing me...
and in monsey...i'm watching my gay friend make shidduchim for her 3 oldest kids....OF COURSE, no one knows about her being a lesbian...or coming to look for pot to smoke. pot should be legal and i have NOTHING against gay people...love em..
BUT...she thinks i'm not good enough because i'm not religious enough....sleeves, shabbos, etc. but hey her family is supporting the cheder and mrs. rubashkin....so she's REALLY FRUM!!!!
but i guess if you lie to people then one is religious enough.
truthful, and you're not a good jew.
and now a new head of this organization...
i'm getting so tired and disappointed in all of this.
shmarya, thanks for FA

[ruthie]

oh, let's be serious....how many times have i rebuffed her advances...not my type at all!
and she has twisted my arm or thrown a rock at my head.
but she's frum people.
FRUM WHERE????

[Dave]

Ruthie, if what you says is true, she sounds very hypocritical. Oddly enough, the Tanach itself does not prohibit lesbianism. It's just rabbinic and karaite and samaritan interpretation ie. all mainstream Jewish/ Israelite interpretation that says its assur.

[Dave]

Another point.
I've checked out all the denominations of (rabbinic) Judaism by attending services, and I've checked out karaite Judaism by reading all their websites, and even we all think that all the different movements are sooo different from each other..frankly speaking the distance between reform and modern orthodox is a lot less than the difference between Judaism and Christianity, or Judaism and Buddhism, etc.

[ruthie]

of course..it's her hypocrisy...that's the only thing i'm upset about.
the world is a stage...
i enjoy that part...
but NOT when it comes to religion.

[ruthie]

i'm sorry ...let me clear this up....
i have nothing against her keeping certain parts of her life quiet...that's her right.
i have a huge problem...lying to the prospective shidduchim in order to fit in to the religious crowd...you don't have to advertise your private time but don't cheapen religious by making it a purim game.
i find that oddly very anti religious...
or maybe i'm just idealistic.

[Dave]

Ruthie, you make some good points.
However, I'd never thought I'd defend an alternative-lifestyle person, but... to be fair, since (as far as I understand) a tendency to become homosexual is not hereditary, her homosexual tendencies/ behaviour cannot be passed on to her children, so why should their shidduchim "suffer" from her proclivities.
Oddly enough, (well maybe not oddly enough) she's being quite selfless by hiding her lesbian tendencies from everyone.

[Neo-Conservaguy]

I'm sorry, but a lot of these YCT guys are flakes.

You know this... how? How many have you met and what is the measurement of an institution based upon meeting some portion of it's graduates?

[Dovy]

Goldin was a big supporter of Oslo. Just what we need now (not)!

[ruthie]

Dovy...oh!

[Gevezener Chusid]

Actually there is some scientific evidence that indicates that female homosexuals DO produce gay offspring if they have children. These studies, like all studies of sexual orientation, are controversial.

What I find interesting about the frum community altogether is their "looking for shidduchim" and disqualifying 90% of everyone, while preaching that the shidduch is from God. What's that all about?

[aaa]

This is dangerous. Only Sephardim have proven themselves to be capable of being moderates.

We need someone like Rabbi De Sola Pool.

[Yochanan Lavie]

aaa: What about Marc Angel? He's moderate, too, no?

[Dave]

Yochanan, if I had a bazillion dollars I'd fund an international kiruv organization and put Marc Angel and Haim Amsellem in charge. It would be a Sefardic version of Chabad or Aish, except better, since no Tanya b.s. and none of this "frummer than thou" stuff.

[Bassy the Haredi Slayer]

I'm sorry, but a lot of these YCT guys are flakes.

You know this... how? How many have you met and what is the measurement of an institution based upon meeting some portion of it's graduates?

This is from the same guy who goes online doubting Ivanka Trump conversion probably because she refused to have sex with that guy's rav Leib Tropper

[Zalman Alpert]

Rabbi Goldin is a authentic Torah person , real and honest. Congratulations on the RCA and rabbi Goldin on his election