Posted on 01/09/19
On Monday, January 7, 2019, the Rabbinical Alliance of America/Igud HaRabbonim (RAA/IGUD) convened at the home of the renowned askan Rabbi Menachem Lichtenstein for its monthly Rosh Chodesh (Shevat) Seudah and Conference.
Nearly 50 rabbis from the New York metropolitan area attended the Rosh Chodesh gathering. Rabbi Lichtenstein, the son of the Krasna Rov, hosted and sponsored the Seudah and Conference in loving memory of his mother-in-law, Yita Bas HaRav Yoel, zt"l.
Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, the Executive Vice-President of the RAA/IGUD, congratulated the Satmar community on the establishment of the Town of Palm Tree. The Town of Palm Tree is Orange County’s 21st town and the first town to be established in New York in the past 38 years. The Town of Palm Tree was created on January 1, 2019, when the Village of Kiryas Joel was split off from the Town of Monroe. Rabbi Gershon Schlesinger accepted Rabbi Mirocznik’s congratulations and continued describing the significance of this historic development means for the Satmar community and for the entire community as a whole.
Rabbi Mirocznik also spoke about the controversial map displayed by newly elected Congress Member Rashida Tlaib. The map of the Middle East that was displayed in Representative Tlaib’s office had a note posted over Israel designating the sacred land as Palestine. The controversial map, if left unexplained, can lead to a conclusion that delegitimatizes Israel as a sovereign country and places America’s most trusted ally in the Middle East in a compromised state that is out of harmony with American security interests. The RAA/IGUD called upon House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to contact Representative Tlaib to clarify the situation.
Rabbi Gil Student presented the monthly Halacha Challenge. Rabbi Yaakov Klass, presidium member of the RAA/IGUD; Rabbi Hanania Elbaz, presidium member of the RAA/IGUD; and Igud Dayan Rabbi Yosef Chaim Perlman presented insights of Torah and Halacha.
Rabbi Yehoshua S. Hecht, presidium chairman of the RAA/IGUD, spoke of the need of rabbonim to assert eternal truths and to lead by example.
