Fifty rabbis from Europe participated in a Halachah Seminar in Ulm, Germany, organized by the Rabbinical Center of Europe in May of this year. Among the many topics addressed at the seminar were mikveh maintenance the halachot of shaatnez, smachot, and chevrah kadisha.

On the first evening of the seminar, the rabbanim joined the local Jewish residents on a tour to the ancient section of the city. During the visit, the rabbis recited the prayer of Kel Malei Rachamim next to the memorial monument for 212 local Jews murdered by Nazis during the Holocaust.

On one of the days, the rabbanim attended a formal reception in one of the municipality halls, initiated and hosted by the mayor himself. In his opening speech, the mayor warmly greeted the Rabbinical Centre of Europe, and complimented the organization for choosing Ulm to host the Halachah Seminar. The mayor stated that he was gratified by the fact that the rabbis paraded down the streets of Ulm in their Jewish attire. The mayor noted in his remarks that he has always assisted the Jewish community and pledged to continue his support.

Rabbi Yisrael Diskin, the head shaliach of Chabad Germany, presented a dvar Torah and blessings in honor of the mayor’s dedication to the Jewish community. He noted during the course of his speech that he has never felt a need to explain or excuse the way he dresses – in the character of Jews the world over.

Rabbi Shneor Trebnik, Chief Rabbi of Ulm, delivered a message of gratitude and good wishes to the mayor. He emphasized the sense of security and safety that the Jews of the city feel.

The mayor’s remarks followed a march held by the rabbanim in the streets of the city. It was a spectacle the likes of which have not been seen in the city for hundreds of years. The march was spontaneous, triggered in reaction to a statement by Felix Klein, the commissioner appointed by Chancellor Angela Merkel to combat anti-Semitism, who strongly recommended not wearing a kippah in public or elsewhere. Klein made the remarks during an interview with a German newspaper and caused an uproar. The local Ulm police blocked traffic during the march, permitting the rabbis to pass without incident.

During the three-day Halachah Seminar, classes were delivered by Hagaon Rabbi Yisrael Yaacov Lichtenstein, Av Beis Din of the Federation of Synagogues in London and the chief mikveh supervisor of RCE; Hagaon Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Garelik, Rabbi of the European Synagogue in Brussels; Hagaon Rabbi Yakov Ruza, Chief Rabbi of Bat Yam and a member of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate; Rabbi Yehuda Leib Mintzberg, chief mikveh inspector of RCE and Rabbi Yaakov Gurwitz, founder and director of the Mishmeret Natan Shatnez Laboratories.