The Fifth European Dayanim Conference of the RCE concluded in Paris on a high note, bringing together dozens of Dayanim, heads of Batei Din, and community rabbis from across Europe for three days of Torah discussions, halachic lectures, and in-depth deliberations on issues facing rabbinical courts in Jewish communities across the continent.

Rabbi David Yosef delivered Torah lectures, words of encouragement, and addressed several important challenges confronting batei din today. Joining him from Israel as special guests were Rabbi Tzvi Braverman, Av Beit Din of Beitar Illit and head of the “HaEmet VeHaShalom” and “Netivot Chaim” batei din in Jerusalem, and Rabbi Eyal Yosef, Av Beit Din in Tel Aviv and Director of Israel’s Rabbinical Courts.

The participation of these distinguished Gedolei Torah from Israel generated considerable excitement among the attendees and among the Jewish communities of Paris and France, who viewed the gathering as a significant strengthening of rabbinical leadership and Jewish judicial authority throughout Europe.

The conference opened with chapters of Tehillim considering the situation in Israel, led by Rabbi Shimon Senior, Chief Rabbi of Paris and the surrounding district. The prayers and words of inspiration created an atmosphere of solemnity and unity, connecting European rabbinic leaders with the concerns of the broader Jewish people.

During the conference, the Rishon LeZion, Rabbi David Yosef, delivered forceful remarks regarding the standing of the rabbinical courts and the obligation to strengthen their halachic authority. The Rishon LeZion stated:

 

“I am not afraid to say this openly: the civil court system is working to undermine and restrict the standing of the rabbinical courts.” He further added: “Just as a judge understands that he cannot instruct a physician how to treat a patient, because he lacks expertise in medicine, so too a judge has no place expressing an opinion on matters of religion and halacha. Halacha was entrusted to the Dayanim of Israel, who are expert in its ways and its depths.

On the first day of the conference, Monday, 23 Sivan, several Torah sessions were held. The first session was chaired by Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Kahn, Member of the Lubavitch Beis din – Paris and member of the Rabbinical Council of Europe. Addressing the session were Rabbi Yitzchak Guggenheim, Av Beit Din of Paris and member of the Rabbinical Council of Europe, and Rabbi Avraham Baruch Pevzner, Rabbi of the Lubavitch community in Paris, France and member of the the Rabbinical Council of Europe

This was followed by another session chaired by Rabbi Shalom Grinfeld, Rabbi of the Alexander community in Antwerp. Addressing this session were Rabbi Tzvi Braverman, who had arrived as a special guest from Eretz Yisrael, and Rabbi Eyal Yosef, Av Beit Din in Tel Aviv and Director of the Rabbinical Courts of Israel.

In the third session, held during the afternoon hours, addresses were delivered by the Rishon LeZion and President of the Supreme Rabbinical Court, Rabbi David Yosef Rabbi Binyamin Shily, Dayan on the Rabbinical Court in Paris; and Rabbi Elimelech Vantzeta, Rabbi and Av Beit Din of Basel, Switzerland.

Following Minchah and the evening meal, Torah discourses and halachic lectures were delivered by Rabbi Yirmiyahu Cohen, former Av Beit Din of Paris and member of the Presidium of the Rabbinical Council of Europe, and by Rabbi Osher Steiner, Rosh Av Beit Din of the Manchester Beth Din. The lectures addressed serious and complex issues that confront Dayanim in their sacred work within the rabbinical courts and generated considerable interest among the participants. The lectures focused on complex and practical halachic issues regularly encountered by rabbinical courts and generated lively discussion among participants.

On Tuesday morning, the conference participants attended a special Shacharis prayer service at the Beis Menachem School in Paris, together with hundreds of the institution’s students. The students arrived for the occasion dressed in their Shabbos clothing, in honor of the Torah and in tribute to the dozens of rabbis and Dayanim who had come from across Europe and from Eretz Yisrael. The gathering made a profound impression on the students and the school’s staff, who witnessed an inspiring display of kavod haTorah and respect for the Rabbonim.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Pevzner, Director of the institution, spoke about the profound impression left on the students by the presence of so many Torah leaders. He emphasized that such encounters strengthen Jewish pride, appreciation for Torah learning, and the aspiration to grow in Torah and yirat Shamayim.

Rabbi David Yosef then addressed the students, speaking passionately about the privilege and responsibility of being a Jew. He stressed that the true pride of every Jewish child lies in belonging to the people of Torah, observing its mitzvot, and serving as a link in the eternal chain of Jewish tradition.

Later in the day, additional sessions were held under the chairmanship of Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Schmahl,  Dayan of the Shomrei Hadass Community in Antwerp and member of the Presidium of the Rabbinical Council of Europe; Rabbi Michoel Schmerla , Av Beis Din of Strasbourg and member of the Presidium of the Conference of European Rabbis; Rabbi Baruch Oberlander, Av Beis Din of the Badatz of the Chareidi Communities in Budapest and member of the the Rabbinical Council of Europe; and Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Raskin,  Dayan and Posek for the Lubavitch Community and Kedassia – London, and member of the Presidium of the  Rabbinical Council of Europe.

During these sessions, addresses were delivered by Rabbi Shraga Feivel Zimmerman, Av Beis Din of the Federation Community in London; Rabbi Ayal Yosef; Rabbi Shimon Sharvit , Av Beis Din of Créteil, France; Rabbi Yehia Touboul, Av Beis Din of Lyon; the Rishon LeZion, Rabbi David Yosef Rabbi Yosef Mor, Dayan at the Beis Din in Manchester; Rabbi Shmuel Toubouli, Dayan, Moreh Tzedek, and Rosh Kollel of Beis Chananiah in Paris and member of the Rabbinical Council of Europe; Rabbi Tzvi Braverman and Rabbi Yehoshua Posen , Dayan at the Beis Din of the Federation Community in London.A special reception for the Dayanim was held with the participation of the rabbis of Paris and the surrounding district.

In the evening, a special reception was held in honor of the Dayanim of Europe, attended by the rabbis of Paris and the surrounding region. Words of Torah and greetings were delivered by the Rishon LeZion, Rabbi David Yosef; Rabbi Binyamin Jacobs, Chief Rabbi of the Interprovincial Chief Rabbinate of the Netherlands and member of the Presidium the Rabbinical Council of Europe; Rabbi Shimon Senior, Rabbi of Paris and the region; Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the RCE; and Mr. Joël Mergui, Honorary President of the Consistoire of Paris.

On the third and concluding day of the conference, additional sessions were held under the chairmanship of Rabbi Ron Hassid, Chief Rabbi of Gibraltar and the Rabbinical Council of Europe, and Rabbi Doron Ahiel, Rabbi of the Netzach Yisrael Community in London and member of the Council of European Rabbis. During these sessions, addresses were delivered by Rabbi Yosef David, Dayan of the Sephardi Beis Din in London and member of the Rabbinical Council of Europe; Rabbi Arie Thumim, Rosh Kollel of the Dayanim’s Kollel in Manchester; Rabbi Raphael Goldblatt, Rabbi of Beis Avraham Synagogue in London; and Rabbi Avshalom Kalazan, Dayan and Rabbi of the Sephardi Ohel Avraham Community in Antwerp.

Throughout the days of the conference, there was a palpable sense of excitement within the Jewish community of Paris at the arrival of dozens of Dayanim and heads of rabbinical courts from France, England, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Hungary, Gibraltar, and other countries. Community rabbis and local residents warmly welcomed the distinguished rabbinical delegates, and members of the French Jewish community noted that the very holding of a large-scale European Dayanim Conference in the heart of Paris provided significant encouragement and support to local Jewish life and to the community rabbis who stand at the service of the public in addressing many complex religious and communal matters.

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, RCE Chairman stated: “The European Dayanim Conference reflects the profound responsibility borne by the rabbis and Dayanim of Europe toward the tens of thousands of Jews living across the continent. The RCE will continue to stand alongside the Dayanim, strengthen the bonds between them, and assist them in addressing the halachic questions currently facing Jewish communities. The special participation of the Rishon LeZion, Rabbi David Yosef, Rabbi Tzvi Braverman, and Rabbi Ayal Yosef provided the conference with tremendous encouragement and further strengthened the connection between the world of rabbinical jurisprudence in Eretz Yisrael and in Europe.”

Rabbi Arie Goldberg, RCE CEO said: “The rabbinical courts of Europe face complex questions and carry a heavy responsibility. This conference united the participants, strengthened the Dayanim, and reinforced halachic decision-making in European Jewish communities upon the firm foundations of Jewish tradition.”

Rabbi Goldberg expressed his gratitude to Rabbi Menachem Margolin, RCE Chairman; Rabbi Yossef Bainhaker, RCE Vice President; Rabbi Avraham Abba Torezki, Secretary of the Rabbinical Council of Europe; and Rabbi Shmuel Houri, the RCE’s representative in France, for their extensive efforts in organizing the conference and honoring the Dayanim who had come from across the continent.

One of the most notable features of the conference was the exceptional spirit of cooperation that developed among Dayanim and heads of rabbinical courts throughout Europe. In addition to the Torah lectures and halachic discussions, numerous conversations took place among the participants, during which Torah insights and practical experience were exchanged, questions arising from local communities were discussed, and important professional relationships were forged between rabbinical courts and Jewish communities across the continent. Dayanim from various countries remarked that the opportunity to sit together around one table provided invaluable strength for their daily sacred work, enabling mutual consultation and deeper cooperation on the issues facing European Jewry.

At the conclusion of the conference, representatives of the RCE emphasized that, alongside strengthening ties among the rabbinical courts of Europe, particular importance had also been placed on deepening relations with the rabbinical courts in Eretz Yisrael. This was highlighted by the participation of the Rishon LeZion and President of the Supreme Rabbinical Court, Rabbi David Yosef, and Rabbi Ayal Yosef. Their presence added a further dimension of strength and unity to the gathering and reinforced the aspiration for continued Torah-based and practical cooperation between the rabbinical court systems of Eretz Yisrael and Europe, for the benefit of Jewish communities everywhere.