Emigration of Rabbis, Lay Leaders to Israel Causes Brain Drain

The large scale emigration to Israel of rabbis and Jewish lay leaders is seriously depleting the spiritual leadership of Jewish communities abroad. That problem was discussed here last night by several speakers at the World Conference of Synagogues and Community Organizations. Its specific affect on France’s Jewish community was detailed at a press conference today by two French delegates, Chief Rabbi Jacob Kaplan of France and Baron Alain De Rothschild, president of the Jewish Consistory, the officially recognized agency of the Jewish religious community in France.

They reported that in 122 Jewish communities affiliated with the Consistory, there are now only 60 rabbis left and 80 reverends. The rabbinical seminary has a total of 22 students. Immigrants to Israel in recent years included five or six chief rabbis of cities with large Jewish communities as well as Jewish scholars, doctors, lawyers and others who had participated in the spiritual leadership of their communities.

ACUTE DANGER OF ASSIMILATION

Baron De Rothschild noted that France has a Jewish population of 550,000 which faces an acute danger of assimilation as its leaders settle in Israel. He said this might not be serious with regard to the older generation of Jews from North Africa who make up about half of the Jewish population. However, he noted, the distinction between Metropolitan French and North African and between Ashkenazi and Sephardi is largely a thing of the past and second generation North African Jews are definitely in danger of losing contact with Judaism.

Baron De Rothschild said the Consistory has sent an “ambassador” to Israel in the person of Rabbi Paul Roitmann who will try to form a cadre of French-raised religious leaders here to take turns going to France to take care of community needs there.

In reply to questions on political matters, Rabbi Kaplan denied a French newspaper report that President Georges Pompidou had told him he would no longer insist on Big Four Middle East talks since China has entered the United Nations. The rabbi said the subject did not come up in his recent conversation with Pompidou. Baron De Rothschild said that the French government’s attitude toward Israel remains unchanged outwardly but many French leaders are still friends of Israel and this has been demonstrated in many of their contacts with the French Jewish community.