Sydney Beth Din
Religion
AffiliationJudaism
StatusActive
Location
LocationBondi Beach, Sydney
StateNew South Wales
CountryAustralia
Architecture
Date established1904/1905[lower-roman 1]
Completed1885
Website
https://www.bethdin.org.au/

The Sydney Beth Din is a beth din located in Sydney, Australia.[2]

History

The beth din was founded in 1885, and revamped into its current status in 1904.[lower-roman 2] The reorganisation permitted greater independence - prior to this, conversions had to be accepted by the chief rabbi in London for approval.[3] Tensions were present with the Jewish community in neighbouring Melbourne.[4]

Israel Porush served as a leader of the beth din[5] from 1940 until 1975, and had also served as a chairman during the re-establishment of the Melbourne Beth Din.[6] During his tenure, the congregation expanded, and he oversaw the opening of a war memorial centre in 1956.[7] Porush later authored a book in 1972 about his time as chairman - writing that under his tenure,[8]

The ministry too, has been greatly expanded with many qualified leaders (...) A full Beth Din of experienced Dayanim had been functioning for years.

Rabbi Freedman, a Mizrachi Zionist, had also temporarily served on the court alongside him from 1956 until his retirement in 1965.[9]

After a recommendation from the beth din in March 2020, Sydney synagogues suspended their services. Rabbi Moshe Gutnick stated,[10]

“We’re taking a very strong stance, stronger than the government’s in terms of gatherings. We’re better safe than sorry.”

Activities

The Beth Din is responsible for conversions. The Sydney Beth Din are one of the few in the world that is approved to perform conversions by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate.[11] In 2008, it was estimated that the beth din does between 30 and 50 conversions a year.[12]

The beth din also processes gett divorces, and answers personal and ritual queries from local communities and around the globe.[13]

The beth din appointed Rabbanit Judith Levitan as the first woman in Sydney to become an Orthodox rabbi in May 2020. It was also stated Moshe Gutnick was aware and supportive of the course.[14]

The beth din was also key in the process of granting a gett divorce to Zebulon Simantov, the last Jew out of Afghanistan.[15]

Criticism

The beth din was criticized for ostracizing an Orthodox rabbi, Menachem Kaminetsky, in Melbourne, after it issued a nidui (ostracization) against him.[16]

Leaders of the beth din, faced criticism in 2018, when they informed a member of their congregation into approaching them to resolve a commercial business dispute in the Beth Din in accordance with Jewish law, in replace of a secular court.[17]

The beth din was criticized in 2021 in an investigation from the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, which called for reformation. The report stated: “SBD had needlessly diminished the reputation of Judaism in the Jewish and broader community.”[18] Rabbi Moshe Gutnick stated that “an opportunity for real collaboration has been lost” in reaction to the report's findings.[19]

Conversely, however, some, such as Keith Thompson, have discussed whether or not the Australian government is violating freedom of religion in their perceived interference in the beth din.[20]

Notes

  1. ↑ The beth din's website states it was established in 1905, though some sources state it was in 1904.[1]
  2. ↑ See the article's notes

    References

    1. ↑ Liberman, Serge (2018-11-01). The Bibliography of Australasian Judaica 1788-2008. Hybrid Publishers. ISBN 978-1-74298-129-1.
    2. ↑ Rutland, Suzanne D.; Caplan, Sophie (1998). With One Voice: A History of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies. Australian Jewish Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-9599959-4-7.
    3. ↑ Ehrlich, M. Avrum (2008-10-03). Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora [3 volumes]: Origins, Experiences, and Culture [3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 531. ISBN 978-1-85109-874-3.
    4. ↑ Liberman, Serge (2018-11-01). The Bibliography of Australasian Judaica 1788-2008. Hybrid Publishers. ISBN 978-1-74298-129-1.
    5. ↑ Hyams, Bernard Keith (1998). Surviving: A History of the Institutions and Organisations of the Adelaide Jewish Community. Jewish Community Council of South Australia. pp. 111, 154. ISBN 978-0-646-36471-1.
    6. ↑ Adler, Cyrus; Szold, Henrietta (1961). American Jewish Year Book. Jewish Publication Society of America. p. 375.
    7. ↑ Nolan, Melanie (2021-03-09). Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 19: 1991–1995 (A–Z). ANU Press. pp. 681–682. ISBN 978-1-76046-413-4.
    8. ↑ Porush, Israel (1972). Today's Challenge to Judaism: An Australian Rabbi Discusses the Problems Facing His People. Curranwong. ISBN 978-90-70014-83-4.
    9. ↑ Langmore, Diane (1966). Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1981-1990. The Miegunyah Press. p. 407. ISBN 978-0-522-85382-7.
    10. ↑ Cox, Lisa (2020-03-19). "Keeping the faith: how places of worship have adapted to the coronavirus crisis". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
    11. ↑ "Recognized Rabbinical Courts for Conversion". ITIM. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
    12. ↑ Ehrlich, M. Avrum (2008-10-03). Encyclopedia of the Jewish Diaspora [3 volumes]: Origins, Experiences, and Culture [3 volumes]. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 531. ISBN 978-1-85109-874-3.
    13. ↑ Hosen, Nadirsyah; Mohr, Richard (2011-04-27). Law and Religion in Public Life: The Contemporary Debate. Taylor & Francis. p. 200. ISBN 978-1-136-72584-5.
    14. ↑ Newsdesk, J.-Wire (2020-05-20). "Meet Sydney's first woman to become an orthodox rabbi". J-Wire. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
    15. ↑ "Last Jew out of Afghanistan warns Israel: 'Don't rely on the United States'". The Times of Israel. 29 Sep 2021.
    16. ↑ "Top Orthodox Rabbi Shunned by Australian Beth Din". The Forward. 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
    17. ↑ "Senior rabbis urged to resign after contempt of court ruling upheld". The Guardian Australia. 28 December 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
    18. ↑ "A call for reform for the Sydney Beth Din". J-Wire. 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
    19. ↑ Narunsky, Gareth. "Unholy war after report's release". www.australianjewishnews.com. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
    20. ↑ Thompson, Keith (2020). "Is the Australian judiciary unnecessarily interfering with freedom of religion?: The Sydney Beth Din case". St Mark's Review – via Informit.
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