Italian rabbanim at CER seminar in Milan

Milan, Italy - 12-Sep-06

Dayan Abraham calls for strengthening Jewish education across Europe

Over 30 rabbis from across Italy attended the first in a series of regional seminars for community rabbis organised by the Conference of European Rabbis in Milan on September 11/12.

Titled "Da Ma'she Tashiv", the seminar brought together lecturers and rabbis from the leading Israeli outreach organisation "Arachim" and was geared to providing rabbis with the tools to fight assimilation and to spread Torah-true Judaism in their communities.

Rabbis from cities across Italy heard lectures from Rabbi Zvi Inbar of Arachim on how to present themes including Yesadot Ha'Emunah, Hohachot Le'Amitut Ha'Torah and Ta'amei Ha'Mitzvot to communities.

Rabbi Natan Rosen from Arachim also gave lectures on Chinuch Le'Arachim and Zehut Yehudit as tools to fight assimilation.

At the request of the Italian rabbis and the Milan community, Dayan Yonoson Abraham from the London Beit Din gave shiurim in Hilchot Rosh Hashana to the rabbis and also provided divrei chizzuk to the community at a packed event held on the first evening at the Milan Great Synagogue.

Those attending the seminar included all the chief rabbis of cities in Italy including Rabbi Shmuel Riccardo Di Segni, Chief Rabbi of Rome; Rabbi Avraham Arbib, Chief Rabbi of Milan and Rabbi Somekh, Chief Rabbi of Turin. Rabbi Somekh provided simultaneous translation into Italian of Dayan Abraham's lecture to the community. Other important rabbis attending included Rabbi Michael Kadosh, Rabbi of the Lebanese Community of Milan and Rabbi Gershon Mendel Garelik, Rabbi of the Ashkenazi Community of Milan. 

During his lecture to the Milan community, Dayan Abraham praised the recent initiative of Chief Rabbi Arbib to set up a kollel in the city.

"We see throughout Europe and the world that wherever there is constant Torah learning there is a future in the community. Without Torah learning, there is rampant assimilation," Dayan Abraham said. 

During an intensive discussion at the close of the seminar, Rabbi Roberto De La Rocca, head of Machleket HaChinuch of Igud Hakehillot in Italy asked Arachim and the CER to organise more such conferences for rabbis in small communities.

At least three other such seminars are scheduled in the period up to Pesach next year in different European regions.

Commenting on the success of this seminar, CER Rabbinical Director Rabbi Moshe Lebel paid tribute to the spirit of unity within the Italian community.

"It is a beautiful sight to see just before Rosh Hashana a seminar for rabbis where all the local rabbis took part. We saw here in Milan the rabbis of the chareidi communities interacting with the mainstream communities and leading mitnagedish rabbanim discussing Torah with rabbanei Lubavitch. A true Kiddush Hashem. And this is apparently an important part of minhag Italia. While we were there, we saw that they have a special minhag in Milan. At shacharit, tachanun was not said because a brit had occurred that day in the same city. It shows that a simcha for one kehilla is a simcha for all the kehillot.