SLAMMED BY THE CHIEF RABBI: “Does Rabbi Druckman Think He’s Equal to Rav Elyashiv and Rav Ovadia Yosef?”

Sephardic Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchok Yosef slammed Rabbi Chaim Druckman, one of the leading rabbis of the Religious Zionist movement, over his personal support for the authority of municipal rabbis to perform conversions in Israel, Arutz Sheva reports.

According to the report, Rav Yosef said: “Rabbi Druckman said he agreed that there could be conversions of city rabbis, but only with the consent of the Chief Rabbinate. I wonder about him. How can you agree to this? Rav [Yosef Shalom] Elyashiv objected to it. My father [Rav Ovadia Yosef] objected to it. All the leaders of the generation objected to it. With all due respect to Rabbi Druckman, is he like [my father] when it comes to Torah? Is he like Rav Elyashiv? What a gap [exists between him and them] …”

“So how can you disagree with [my father]? How can you disagree with Rav Elyashiv? They are against the [increased powers] for municipal rabbis because they want to give to the municipal rabbis like the rabbi of Shoham. That’s their goal, so how can you say ‘it’s good?’ What’s good about it? It’s the worst, and it must be fought,” he said.

“I was shown an article by the rabbi of Shoham. What did he write? That conversion can be joined to the nationalism of the people of Israel. That he be traditional… What is this thing? It betrays an incorrect interpretation of the Torah. Or one who writes with the consent of the book ‘Zerah Yisrael:’ I agree to convert all the immigrants who immigrated from Russia, provided they leave the church and keep Shabbat ‘to some extent.’ If I did not see it I wouldn’t believe it,” Rav Yosef added.

{Matzav.com Israel}