Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron (b. 1941), was a former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel. For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... Sephardi Jews (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Sfaradim, Tiberian Hebrew ) are a subgroup of Jews originating in the Iberian Peninsula, generally defined in contrast to Ashkenazi Jews. ... // Chief rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognised religious leader of that countrys Jewish community. ...

Background

Rabbi Bakshi-Doron was born in Jerusalem and studied in several prominent Religious Zionist yeshivot. He was appointed Chief Rabbi of Bat Yam in 1972, and later, Haifa, in 1975, a position he held until 1993, when he became Chief Rabbi of Israel. Jerusalem (Hebrew: Yerushalayim; Arabic: al-Quds; Greek Ιεροσόλυμα; Latin Aelia Capitolina) is an ancient Middle Eastern city on the watershed between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea at an elevation of 650-840 meters. ... The Religious Zionist Movement, or Religious Zionism is an ideology combining Zionism and Judaism, which offers Zionism based on the principles of Jewish religion and heritage. ... Yeshiva or yeshivah (Hebrew: ישיבה pl. ... Bat Yam (בת ים) is a city in Israel, on the central coastal strip, just south of Tel Aviv, and part of the metropolis known as Gush Dan, in the Tel Aviv District. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ...

Rabbi Bakshi-Doron has written several books and articles on religious subjects. In 2000 he and his Ashkenazi counterpart, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau made headlines in the Jewish world when they met with Pope John Paul II. While some, particularly in the haredi community, denounced the meeting as demeaning, even blasphemous, most Jews and Israelis supported the ecumenical spirit of the meetings. The meeting with the Pope was later seen as a historical precedent for a 2005 meeting of Chief Rabbis Amar and Metzger with the new Pope, Benedict XVI. This article is about the year 2000. ... Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים Standard Hebrew, AÅ¡kanazi,AÅ¡kanazim, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾAÅ¡kănāzî, ʾAÅ¡kănāzîm, pronounced sing. ... Rabbi Israel Meir Lau (born 1937 in Piotrków, Poland) is a former Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi (1993–2003) of the state of Israel. ... The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... Official papal image of John Paul II. His Holiness Pope John Paul II, né Karol Józef Wojtyła (born May 18, 1920 in Wadowice, Poland), is the current Pope — the Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. ... Haredi Judaism, also called ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Judaism. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pope Benedict XVI (Latin: ; born April 16, 1927 as Joseph Alois Ratzinger in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria, Germany) is the 265th reigning pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City. ...

Bakshi-Doron is a widower; his wife Esther, the daughter of the former Chief Rabbi of `Akko, died in 2005. The two had ten children. Alternate uses: see widow (typesetting). ... The Old City of Acre in the 19th or early 20th century, looking south-west from atop the Land Wall Promenade, the open space now a parking lot. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Policy positions

Bakshi-Doron has become somewhat notable for his willingness to depart from the conventional Religious Zionist party line. In 2000, while visiting the tiny Jewish community in Singapore, Bakshi-Doron declared that he was in favor of giving away parts of East Jerusalem to the Palestinians in exchange for peace in the Arab-Israeli Conflict. He added that any agreement would have to include the Temple Mount remaining in Israeli hands. [1] This article is about the year 2000. ... East Jerusalem is that part of Jerusalem which was held by Jordan from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War until the Six-Day War in 1967. ... The Palestinian flag, adopted in 1948, is a widely recognized modern symbol of the Palestinian people. ... Combatants Arab nations State of Israel Arab-Israeli conflict series History of the Arab-Israeli conflict Views of the Arab-Israeli conflict International law and the Arab-Israeli conflict Arab-Israeli conflict facts, figures, and statistics Participants Israeli-Palestinian conflict · Arab League · Soviet Union / Russia · Israel and the United Nations... The Temple Mount (Hebrew: הַר הַבַּיִת (without niqqud: הר הבית), translit. ...

He also received attention in 2002 when he took part in an inter-faith conference in Alexandria, Egypt, along with the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey, Rabbi Michael Melchior, and the muftis of Bethlehem and the PA police forces. The conference resulted in a written agreement in which the religious leaders denounced the ongoing violence in the Middle East. Although the accord received the support of both Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat, it seems to have had little practical effect. For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... For other uses, see Alexandria (disambiguation). ... Arms of the see of Canterbury The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior clergyman of the established Church of England and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... The Right Reverend and Right Honourable George Leonard Carey, Baron Carey of Clifton, PC (born 13 November 1935), was the 103rd Archbishop of Canterbury, from 1991 to 2002. ... Rabbi Michael Melchior (in Hebrew מיכאל מלכיאור) (born January 31, 1954) is an Israeli politician and Labor-Meimad member of the Knesset. ... A Mufti (Arabic: مفتى ) is an Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law (Sharia), capable of issuing fataawa (plural of fatwa). // Role of a Mufti in governments In theocracies like Saudi Arabia and Iran, and in some countries where the constitution is based on sharia law, such... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... (Hebrew: אריאל שרון, also known by his diminutive Arik) (born February 26, 1928) is a former Israeli politician and a retired general. ... Arafat redirects here; for the hill east of Mecca, see Mount Arafat Yasser Arafat (Arabic: ياسر عرفات‎) (August 24, 1929 – November 11, 2004), born Mohammed Abdel-Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini (محمد عبد الرؤوف القدوة الحسيني) and also known by the kunya Abu `Ammar (أبو عمّار), was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (1969–2004); President of...

In 2004, Bakshi-Doron spoke out in favor of ending the Orthodox monopoly over marriages in Israel, saying that the law had become irrelevant and was now a source of division and hatred between Orthodox Jews and their Masorti, Reform, and secular counterparts. Bakshi-Doron's comments marked the first time any member of the Chief Rabbinate had recommended relinquishing its authority, and some in the Orthodox community described the speech as a "bombshell." [2] 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Orthodox Judaism is the stream of Judaism which adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized in the Talmud (The Oral Law) and later codified in the Shulkhan Arukh (Code of Jewish Law). It is governed by these works and the Rabbinical commentary... Masorti means traditional in Hebrew. ... Reform Judaism can refer to (1) the largest denomination of Judaism in America and its sibling movements in other countries, (2) a branch of Judaism in the United Kingdom, and (3) the historical predecessor of the American movement that originated in 19th Century Germany. ... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ...

However, it would be a mistake to call Bakshi-Doron "liberal" on issues relating to either Judaism or the peace process. He came under fire by the Israeli Reform Movement in 1996 after a sermon in which he compared the movement with the Biblical Zimri, who was killed by another man, Pinchas, son of Eleazar, for sleeping with a Midianite woman. Bakshi-Doron responded by dismissing the complaint as a publicity move, saying it was "unthinkable" that anyone would seriously consider his speech as an incitement to murder. [3] He was attacked by the Reform Movement again in 1999 after comments which Reform leaders claimed compared Reform Judaism to the Holocaust. [4] 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Zimri (praiseworthy), was king of Israel for seven days. ... This entry incorporates text from Eastons Bible Dictionary, 1897, with some modernisation. ... According to the Bible, Midian (מִדְיָן Strife; judgment, Standard Hebrew Midyan, Tiberian Hebrew Miḏyān) was a son of Abraham and his concubine Keturah (Genesis 25:1-6). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Reform Judaism can refer to (1) the largest denomination of Judaism in America and its sibling movements in other countries, (2) a branch of Judaism in the United Kingdom, and (3) the historical predecessor of the American movement that originated in 19th Century Germany. ... Concentration camp inmates during the Holocaust The Holocaust was Nazi Germanys systematic genocide (ethnic cleansing) of various ethnic, religious, national, and secular groups during World War II. Early elements include the Kristallnacht pogrom and the T-4 Euthanasia Program established by Hitler that killed some 200,000 people. ...

In 2002, he accused Yasser Arafat of attempting to commit "a Holocaust against the State of Israel." [5] For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Arafat redirects here; for the hill east of Mecca, see Mount Arafat Yasser Arafat (Arabic: ياسر عرفات‎) (August 24, 1929 – November 11, 2004), born Mohammed Abdel-Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini (محمد عبد الرؤوف القدوة الحسيني) and also known by the kunya Abu `Ammar (أبو عمّار), was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) (1969–2004); President of...

Bakshi-Doron briefly received attention in January 2005 for attending the First World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace in Brussels, Belgium. The Congress was made up of around 180 notable Jewish and Muslim religious representatives, authorities and scholars from all over the world, and released a statement that called for the promotion of peace and understanding between Jews and Muslims. [6] 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map showing the location of Brussels in Belgium Brussels City Hall Emblem of the Brussels-Capital Region Flag of The City of Brussels Brussels (Dutch: Brussel, pronounced ; French: Bruxelles, pronounced in Belgian French and often by non-Belgian speakers of French; German: Brüssel) is the capital of Belgium, the...

In August 2005, Bakshi-Doron, along with Modern Orthodox rabbis Norman Lamm and Aharon Lichtenstein, condemned calls by other prominent rabbis for IDF soldiers to disobey orders to dismantle Jewish settlements as part of the Gaza Disengagement. [7] 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Modern Orthodox Judaism (or Modern Orthodox, also known as Modern Orthodoxy and sometimes abbreviated as MO) is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize traditional observance and values with the secular modern world. ... Norman (Nochum) Lamm, or Dr. Norman Lamm, (born, 1927, Brooklyn, USA), major modern Orthodox Judaism Jewish communal leader. ... Aharon Lichtenstein (born 1933) is a noted Orthodox Jewish rabbi. ... The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: צבא ההגנה לישראל Tsva Ha-Haganah Le-Yisrael ([Army] Force [for] the Defense of Israel), often abbreviated צהל Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israels armed forces (army, air force and navy). ... Gaza City (alternatively, simply Gaza; Arabic غزة Ä azzah; Hebrew ×¢×–×” Azza). ...

Farming controversy

In 2000, Bakshi-Doron became involved in a disagreement with some of the leading rabbis in Israel. In order to get around the Halakhic prohibitions of shmita, in which farmland must lie fallow once every seven years, Sephardi and Zionist Ashkenazi rabbis had traditionally issued "sales permits", with which farmers could symbollically sell their land to non-Jews for the sabbatical year, letting them continue to farm. That year the permits came under fire by Haredi Mitnagdic authority Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv. Chief Rabbis Bakshi-Doron and Lau, along with former Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, ruled that the permits were still valid, and Bakshi-Doron publicly told farmers to go ahead with the sales. This article is about the year 2000. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... The Jubilee year (every 50th year) and the Sabbatical year (every seventh year) are Biblical commandments concerning ethical ownership of land. ... The Religious Zionist Movement, or Religious Zionism is an ideology combining Zionism and Judaism, which offers Zionism based on the principles of Jewish religion and heritage. ... Haredi or Charedi Judaism, often referred to as Ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. ... Mitnagdim or misnagdim is a Hebrew word (מתנגדים) meaning opponents; this term was used to refer to European religious Jews who opposed Hasidic Judaism. ... Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī;; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished, (in knowledge). In the ancient Judean schools (and among Sefaradim today) the sages... Rabbi Y.S. Eliashiv Yosef Shalom Eliashiv (יוסף שלום אלישיב), (b. ... Bold textOvadia Yosef (born Abdullah Youssef in 1920) is an Israeli Orthodox Jewish rabbi, Talmud scholar and a recognized authority in halakha (Jewish Law). He is the former Sephardic chief rabbi of the State of Israel and is the current spiritual leader of the Shas political party in Israel. ...

When Bakshi-Doron gave farmers the green light to go ahead and work during the sabbatical year, the haredi newspaper Yated Ne'eman leaked threats that he would be excommunicated. He and his family were also threatened with ostracism, which would have meant that no member of the haredi community could have contact with them. Cherem (or Herem), is the highest ecclesiastical censure in the Jewish community. ...

Eliashiv also said that unless Bakshi-Doron backed down, he would no longer be recognized as a rabbi among Haredim. In response, an emotional Bakshi-Doron met with Israeli President Moshe Katsav, where he reportedly burst into tears. Despite the open support of Katsav and Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Bakshi-Doron ultimately bowed to Eliashiv's threat. This was widely seen by members of the National Religious camp, which Bakshi-Doron belonged to, as a surrender to the Haredi community. [8] President of the State of Israel (Hebrew: נשיא המדינה, Nasi Hamedina) is the head of state of Israel, but has a largely ceremonial, figurehead role with real power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister of Israel. ... Moshe Katsav (Courtesy: Israeli Knesset) Moshe Katsav (Hebrew מֹשֶׁה קַצָּב Mōšeh Qaṣṣāḇ), born December 5, 1945) is the current President of Israel (since 2000). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Ehud Barak (Hebrew: אֵהוּד בָּרָק) (born February 12, 1942, in Mishmar HaSharon kibbutz, then British Mandate of Palestine) is an Israeli politician and was the 10th Prime Minister of Israel from 1999 to 2001. ... Mafdal party logo The National Religious Party (Hebrew: Mafdal, מפדל) is an Israeli political party representing the religious Zionist movement. ...

Quotes

When I see all of the imams and rabbis coming together, this is a message to the Creator that we are here to do your will, that is to bring peace.- Bakshi-Doron at the conclusion of the Congress of Rabbis and Imams

Sources

• Chief Rabbis- Greetings to Pope John Paul II
• Interview with Bakshi-Doron
• Jewish Agency Bio
• Imams and Rabbis for Peace