To understand how the Israeli Chief Rabbinate essentially commandeered American Orthodoxy, we must look at some history first. Although Jews began arriving in America already in the seventeenth century, few rabbis, or even mediocre scholars, did. The situation was very similar to that of internet "rabbis" today. Someone with a bit of knowledge, but a big agenda, makes it sound like their view is "the" view of Judaism. No credentials are offered. Those who are knowledgeable, of course, can immediately spot a phony; by misquotes, inability to use Hebrew expressions correctly, or by inappropriately wearing sacred garments, intended for worship, while giving a talk for the camera. Similarly, anyone with a smattering of Jewish knowledge could, in nineteenth and early twentieth century America, pass himself off as a rabbi, with no one knowing the difference. Anyone with access to a sign maker, could put a shingle in front of his house. At one point in the early twentieth century, there were two signs on the same New York street. One claimed that the occupant was the Chief Rabbi of New York. Down the block, was the Chief Rabbi of America! As there were no Orthodox seminaries, those who wished to be rabbis would either be self ordained, or seek ordination from a visiting European rabbi. In the 1920s, things began to get more organized. In 1886, what was to become Yeshiva University started as an elementary school. By 1928, it had expanded to not only a full University program, but also a rabbinical seminary, called the "Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Theological Seminary".. While Orthodox, it was run like a University; secular studies were mandatory, and students could choose between a wide variety of subjects to study. Although similar in many ways to German seminaries, it was radically different from what was known to East European Jews, who at this time comprised the great majority of the American Jewish community. It was so similar to the Conservative Jewish Theological Seminary, that a merger was proposed in the late 1920s. It failed, not because of ideology, but because of different systems of Talmudic study. Modern Orthodoxy was thus born. However, since that term has a connotation of being wishy-washy, the term "Centrist" came in in the 1970s. More right-wing rabbis were scandalized by the new seminary. Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the Sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, famously said in the 1940s "It is hard to imagine how Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan (a prominent Lithuanian rabbi) could have sinned, that such an institution was named for him". But they were producing rabbis for a new kind of Jewish community. The classical model was not that of a pastoral rabbi. He was the community authority on Jewish law. There might be many synagogues in his town, but he was responsible for all. Sermons were given twice a year; the Shabbat between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, and the Shabbat before Passover. In America, every synagogue was independent. Each sought its own rabbi, who could respond to the needs of that constituency. Yeshiva University was producing THAT kind of rabbi; fairly knowledgeable in halachah, but who also was trained in psychology, and could even quote Shakespeare. An association of congregations was formed simultaneously, which became known as the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union, or the OU. The OU congregations were provided with rabbis who were graduates of YU. An association of these rabbis came into being, known as the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA). Eventually, these three institutions came under the same auspices, and are essentially one. By this time, there were other seminaries, run by both Lithuanian and Hasidic groups. But the latter's students were generally not interested in the pulpit rabbinate. They were interested in Torah education at various levels; from elementary to advanced. They certainly had no desire to bring their families into the "boondocks" of middle America. As a result, nearly all Orthodox congregations became affiliated with the OU and the RCA. Feelers were put out by the RCA for merger with some of the more right-wing organizations, but these were rebuffed by those who considered the RCA rabbis as barely Orthodox. Any rabbi ordained at YU is automatically a member of the RCA. Graduates of other yeshivot must apply for admission, which is not easy to receive. As a result, rabbis from the prominent yeshivot; Lakewood, Torah V'daas, Mir, Telz, had little chance of being hired by an Orthodox synagogue. Ironically, the Young Israel Movement, which began as sort of a bridge between the Orthodox and Conservative movements, hired rabbis from the more right-wing yeshivot, and, as a result, is now quite a bit to the right of the OU synagogues. (Many now belong to the OU as well as Young Israel). The chaos of the beginning of the twentieth century had yielded to a powerful and efficient organization. Some would say a monopoly. However, other groups made inroads, and ran their own institutions. It is, after all, a free country. But then in the 1990s, the Israeli Chief Rabbinate officially recognized the RCA as its sole representative in America. At that point, things become messy. More next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment