The Chief Rabbis of Israel, in an open break with Rabbi Jacob Toledano, the Minister of Religions, today urged Israel rabbis to boycott a convention called by Rabbi Toledano.
Rabbi Toledano, who was appointed Minister of Religions over the opposition of the Chief Rabbinate when Moshe Shapiro quit the position in last year’s Who is a Jew” controversy, said he had called the convention here to explain various rulings against decisions of the Chief Rabbinate. Rabbi Toledano had contended that such decisions were adopted without a required quorum and were therefore invalid.
He said he also wanted to explain and “expose” various accusations made against him by opponents who, he contended, were close to the National Religious Party which left the coalition Government with the resignation of Mr. Shapiro and three other Religious Party Cabinet members.
The Chief Rabbinate’s request for a rabbinical boycott of the convention noted that “for more than 40 years nobody has dared to convene the rabbis of Israel without the permission of, or against the will of, the Chief Rabbinate. ” Other rabbis demanded that Rabbi Toledano be relieved of his rabbinical authority because of his activity which they charged was against “the basic principles of every rabbi in Israel.”
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