Shliach Appointed Rabbi of Berlin Community
Amidst a day of meetings with Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger and German officials over how their country’s justice system approaches the issue of ritual infant circumcision, Chabad-Lubavitch of Berlin director Rabbi Yehuda Tiechtel formally accepted the title of “Rabbi of the Community” from Jewish Community of Berlin chairman Dr. Gideon Joffe.
The announcement and Metzger’s visit come two months after a district court in Cologne ruled that infant circumcision constituted bodily harm and thus could not be performed without obtaining a patient’s consent. While the ruling had no bearing on other districts, it sparked a national debate over parental religious rights.
Metzger and Joffe signed a formal document on Monday that grants Tiechtel the same title as Rabbi Yitzhak Ehrenberg.
“The Jews of Berlin are privileged to appoint for themselves a dominant rabbi who has revolutionized Jewish life here in over the past 16 years,” said Jaffe.
During a June interview with CNN, Tiechtel called on the government to uphold religious freedom, and yesterday, Metzger stressed that Jewish law takes the health of a baby boy into account when mandating circumcision on the eighth day of life; circumcisions are routinely postponed when a baby’s health is questioned.
Metzger and Tiechtel met with the Federal Minister of Justice Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, who assured them that a bill will be presented to the Bundestag in September that will guarantee governmental protections to Jewish parents choosing to circumcise their children.
The pair then met with Renate Künast, chairwoman of the Alliance ‘90/The Greens political party that occupies 68 seats in the German parliament. On Tuesday, they were scheduled to meet with leaders of the legislative opposion as well as former Foreign Minister Frank Walter Steinmeier.
Photos Courtesy of Shturem.net
Renee
Mazel tov, Rabbi Teichtel!
zalmam shimon kb
Why are there two chief rabbis?
Berlinite
Where is Rabbi Ehrenberg? Isn’t he the current chief rabbi of Berlin?
Chaim
Rabbi Ehrenberg is probably the misnagdishe Rav
ariel
Unbelievable Disgrace!!
Constant political subversion that led to this ridiculous “appointment”. Rabbi Ehrenberg has been the Chief Rabbi for many years now and not even such filthy undermining act will change that. It is shameful that motivation for political power and personal interests brings a young so-called Rabbi to organize his own “appointment” as chief rabbi behind the back of the current Chief Rabbi, Harav Ehrenberg. This stinks to high heaven – tartey mashma.
Shneur Zalman
There is a chief rabbi in berlin!!!!!!
What type of disgrace to us chabad chassidim to see how our shilluchim; try and push other successful rabbis out of there job and by this breaking Communities.
I think rabbi Tiectal should rather concentrate on kiruv rather then machlakos which he is getting good at!!!!!!!
A Chassid
To Shneur Zalman:
Nice try! Ha! From the way you write it’s very clear you are not actually a Chabad chassid. To think you have to be a fraud to make your point speaks volumes about you…