Last Monday saw the meeting between Rabbi Ezra Batzri, and members of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe at the Rabbinical Centre of Europe’s offices in Jerusalem. The visit took place in the context of a large-scale programme including a series of visits welcoming Rabbis and dayonim (Rabbinical judges) from across Europe and Israel to visit the centre offices and witness the important work taking place there first-hand. The centre was honoured to welcome Rabbi Batzri, who currently serves as the Sephardic Av Beis Din (Head of Rabbinical court) in London and former Av Beis Din of Jerusalem, Israel for decades prior. Rabbi Mordechai Bitton, head of the centre’s divorce and halachic response departments, has been responsible for programme coordination.

Centre Deputy Director-General Rabbi Arie Goldberg presented Rabbi Batzri, with a description of the activities the Rabbinical Centre of Europe is engaged in at this time including the centre’s creation of a guidance booklet for rabbis wishing to register a marriage, that was completed recently and is to be sent to rabbis throughout Europe within a short time. The booklet prototype was displayed to Rabbi Batzri.

When Rabbi Goldberg inquired as to which area Rabbi Batzri views as bearing the greatest priority towards the improvement and strengthening of European Jewry, Rabbi Batzri responded that rabbis in Europe must do everything that they can to stop assimilation on this continent. Rabbi Batzri added that the only way to accomplish this is by providing Jewish children with a Jewish education from a young age, ensuring that every city has a Jewish school, or, where such a thing would be impossible, to provide Jewish Sunday schools teaching Jewish children about Torah and Judaism.