Edah HaChareidis

TheCharedi Council of Jerusalem(Hebrew:העדה החרדית,haEdah haCharedit,Ashkenazi pronunciation:ha-Aideh Charaidisorha-Eido ha-Chareidis;"Congregation of God-Fearers" ) is a largeHarediJewishcommunal organization based inJerusalem.It has several thousands affiliated households and is chaired by theGaonConvenor (Ga'avad). The Council provides facilities such asdietary lawssupervision,ritual baths,aSabbath enclosure,and welfare services.

Headquarters in Jerusalem

The Council was founded in 1921 by devoutAshkenaziresidents of Jerusalem, especially of theOld Yishuv,who refused to be affiliated in any way with the newZionistinstitutions. Inspired by militantanti-Zionistideology, it refuses to receive any state funding from the Israeli authorities, or to endorse voting in the elections, relying on donations from fellow anti-Zionist Haredi Jews abroad and its own income. Its members often engage in demonstrations againstSabbath desecration,autopsies,orarchaeological excavationsof human remains, which they regard as sins, and are noted for their poverty and extreme religious strictness. The Council also sponsors aSephardiHaredi Council.

History

The Edah HaChareidis was founded by RabbiYosef Chaim Sonnenfeldand Rabbi Yitzchok Yerucham Diskin (son of RabbiYehoshua Leib Diskin) in 1921, prior to the establishment of theChief Rabbinateby theZionistmovement under British auspices, which saw Rabbi Sonnenfeld named as the firstAv Beis Din,a position he held until his death in 1932. His tenure saw theOttoman Empire's control over theLand of Israelvanish, to be replaced with the British control of the region under theBritish Mandate of PalestineafterWorld War I.

The Edah HaChareidis, which was – and still is – stronglyanti-Zionist,resisted these moves, and opposed the new British-created Zionist Chief Rabbinate. Rabbi Sonnenfeld was succeeded by

• RabbiYosef Tzvi Dushinsky,who was succeeded by
• RabbiZelig Reuven Bengis,who was succeeded by the
• SatmarRebbe,Grand RabbiJoel Teitelbaum.Rabbi Teitelbaum emigrated to the United States, but retained his position as chief of the OCJ. Teitelbaum's nephew, the late Grand Rabbi
• Moshe Teitelbaumof Satmar, was given the title of President upon Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum's death

Meanwhile, in 1945, the Edah parted ways withAgudat Yisrael.The lay leader of the body for many years was Gershon Stemmer, until his death in early 2007.

Anti-Zionist ideology

The anti-Zionist stance of the Edah HaChareidis is ideologically derived from the bookVayoel Moshe,written by its former President and Chief Rabbi,Joel Teitelbaum,which is regarded as the standard, and by which all issues relating to the modern State ofIsraelare determined. For example, the Congregation forbids voting in the elections for theKnesset,and forbids accepting any funding from the Israeli government (such as subsidies for schools and unemployment benefits), and also does not acceptIsraeli citizenshipthrough theLaw of Return.According to Ynetnews, "It [the Edah] has declared an ideological war against the 'heretic Zionist government'."

The state-run "Chief Rabbinate" recognizes marriage and divorce performed by the Edah's rabbinic court, per a settlement hearkening back to British rule. Yet, like all those performed by non-governmental bodies,converts to Judaismwho convert through the Edah's courts are neither recognized nor eligible for citizenship under theLaw of Return.

In 2002, the rabbinical leadership of the Edah wrote a complementary introduction toVayoel Moshe.The introduction mentioned: "and it is necessary to learn about this subject [of Zionism]... the holy book Vayoel Moshe will open [its readers'] eyes to see [the reasons behind] all troubles and horrors of our time, and will prevent readers from being drawn after the Zionist heresy, may the Merciful One save us."

In 2006, during a campaign against the participation ofHaredimin the Israeli parliamentary elections, the Edah accused the Zionists of having played a role inthe Holocaust.

In March 2008, an article in the Edah's newspaper HaEdah blasted the "first Hasidic police officer" and the newspapers who had praised him, and called for him to be thrown out of the Haredi world. It referred to him as presenting his children toMolech.Addressing him personally, it said: "and even if you are great in your own eyes, you are worth nothing and an embarrassment to us"; and: "We will continue our continuous war, the days of which are the same as the days of the existence of the Zionist entity, against them and against everything you represent."

Influence

Followers of the movements that constitute the Edah HaChareidis mainly live in the northern areas of Jerusalem (fromHar NoftoSanhedria,and inMea Shearim), and inBeit Shemesh.The Edah HaChareidis includes the following groups:Satmar,Dushinsky,Toldos Aharon,Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok,Spinka,Sanz-Tshokave,groups belonging to thePerushim(such as a more "moderate" wing ofNeturei Karta), a faction of the Breslover Hasidim, led by Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter, other factions of breslov,Mishkenos HoRoim,khal chasidei yerushalayim, and several other smaller communities. The Edah HaChareidis publicizes a weekly magazine calledHaEdah( "The Edah" ), written in Hebrew. This magazine is used to publicize the views of the leadership of the Edah HaChareidis on various issues, as well as articles on Jewish thought, including the weeklyTorahportion and biographies of deceased leaders of the Yerushalmi community.

In response to day-long Haredi protests in Jerusalem in 2009, Israel's then-PresidentShimon Peresdescribed the Edah as "a radical minority".

Kashrut supervision

The kashrut certification stamp of theBadatz

The Edah HaChareidis is known for its high standards in rabbinical supervision ofkosherfood, and is considered to be one of the strictesthechsheiriminIsrael.It is often simply known as thehechsherof the "Badatz",which stands forBeis DinTzedek(literally, "Court [of] Righteous Law" ), the standard term for a rabbinical appeals court. Products certified by the Edah are marked with the logo of the Edah.

Rabbinical court

Historically, the court is headed by both a Chief Rabbi, called the "Gaavad"גאב "ד,and by the Head of Rabbinical Court, called a "Raavad"ראב "ד.The "Raavad" is the first person in the line of succession of the "Gaavad", and would usually ascend to the role of "Gaavad" upon his death or resignation.

The following lists prominent members of the Edah's rabbinical court:

Chief Rabbis

1. 1919–1932: RabbiYosef Chaim Sonnenfeld(1849–1932)
2. 1932–1948: Grand RabbiYosef Tzvi Dushinsky,FirstDushinskyRebbe(1867–1948)
3. 1947–1953: RabbiZelig Reuven Bengis(1864–1953)
4. 1953–1979: Grand RabbiJoel TeitelbaumofSatmar(1887–1979)
5. 1979–1989: RabbiYitzchok Yaakov Weiss(1901–1989; author ofMinchas Yitzchak,formerly ofManchesterBeth Din,England)
6. 1989–1996: RabbiMoshe Aryeh Freund(1904–1996; author ofAteres Yehoshua(Chassidei Satmar)
7. 1996–2002: Grand RabbiYisroel Moshe Dushinsky,Second Dushinsky Rebbe (1921–2003; son of Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky, listed above)
8. 2002–2022: RabbiYitzchok Tuvia Weiss(1926–2022; formerlydayanof theMachsike Hadasscommunity,Antwerp,Belgium)
9. 2023–Present: RabbiMoshe Sternbucha large part of the Haredi community do not recognize him as the chief rabbi of the community, only as a member of it.

Presidents

1. 1953–1979: Grand RabbiJoel TeitelbaumofSatmar(1887–1979)
2. 1979–2006: Grand RabbiMoshe TeitelbaumofSatmar(1914–2006)
3. 2006–2021: RabbiDovid Soloveitchik,rosh yeshivaofBrisk(1921–2021)

Past members

• RabbiPinchas Epstein
• RabbiYisroel Yaakov Fisher(1928–2003), author ofEven Yisroel
• RabbiMoshe Halberstam(1932–2006)
• RabbiChanoch Dov Padwa(1908–2000)
• RabbiBinyomin Rabinowitz
• RabbiMeir Brandsdorfer(1934–2009)(Chasidei Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok)
• RabbiYaakov Blau(1929–2013)
• RabbiNaftoli Hertzke Frankel(1939–2017), Dayan of Badatz

Present members

• RabbiMoshe Sternbuch,Head of Rabbinical Courtראב "ד
• RabbiYehoshua Rosenberger(Chasidei Satmar)
• RabbiAvrohom Yitzchok Ulman(Chasidei Dushinsky)
• RabbiYaakov Mendel Yuravitch
• RabbiYehuda Bloi
• Rabbi Israel Yitzhak Shlesinger
• Rabbi Shmuel Bernsdorfer

Affiliated rabbis

• Rabbi Moshe Sacks, ofToldos Avrohom Yitzchok
• RabbiYaakov Meir Shechter
• The Rebbe of the Jerusalem Hasidic congregation
• Rabbi Yehoshua David Turchin the rabbi in the Pharisee community
• The twoAdmors,Aaron TeitelbaumandZalman Teitelbaum,ofSatmarfrom the United States

External links

• Statements against Zionism by the Edah Chareidis