It’s now some 14 months since Rabbi Sprung was for all intents and
purposes sent packing from Mizrachi. Yes, there were elections, and yes his
contract was up, but the fact remains that Mizrachi did something that shocked
frum Australian Jewry.
 |
| Source: jewishnews.net.au |
While generally speaking
frum Jews do not sack their Rabbis or “let them go”, indeed a position
of “Mara D'atra” of a community is a job for life - there are many halachic responsa
to this effect – Mizrachi decided to go about things their own way.
No one is suggesting that Mizrachi did anything illegal as
far as secular laws is concerned, but it left a bitter taste in the mouths of
many in the frum Jewish community of Melbourne. Even some longstanding members
of Mizrachi decided to leave in protest.
Strangely enough Rabbi Sprung does not appear on Mizrachi's "History then and now" page...
 | |
| Source; Mizrachi website |
A question that is being asked by many in Mizrachi now, is, “why
hasn’t a new candidate for Rav been sourced yet?”. Mizrachi is the only Orthodox (let alone frum)
shul in Melbourne without a Rabbi (other than “Katanga” which apparently voted against
ever having a Rabbi – we’ll leave that issue for another day… ). If they don’t
make a serious move soon they will get used to not having a Rabbi on their
heads and will probably never want one again.
FrumInMelbourne understands that there have been a
number of suitable candidates put forward to the board, one outstanding
individual in particular who has demonstrated excellent youth outreach success. We cannot and
do not confirm that this is the case. Have the Shul members been informed?
Rabbi Sprung is sorely missed.
What’s your opinion? Who do you think Mizrachi should
appoint? Do you think Mizrachi should appoint a Rabbi at all?
Are you a current
Mizrachi member? Please weigh in in the comment section below.
Rabbi Sprung is more than happy to hear from any one to answer shallots can be emailed on rebyaak@aol.com
ReplyDeletei spoke to him last week seems well but misses us all
G.S
Thanks GS.
DeleteI miss him a fair bit especially around chagim times.
We are all kept in the dark re the next Rabbi, they only need us to pay membership, we should all get a credit until we have a rabbi
ReplyDeleteits time no leader !!!!
come on Ian/Danny !!!!!
Is Danny on the current board? Ian is the President afaik.
DeleteI was in London recently where I had the great kavod of meeting Chief Rabbi Mervis. He asked me to convey to the Mizrachi board that they must have a vmara d'atra at mizrachi by Rosh Hashana at the very latest. I have done so. I have seen no change.
ReplyDeleteRuth
Chief Rabbi Mervis is what I like to call a soul searching rabbi.
DeleteWish he was here.
I met him at a wedding 2 years ago.
Rabbi Sprung left of his own accord. He was offered a contract renewal but asked for the plebiscite of members, who voted not to renew his contract. There are many precedents for a Rav leaving a kehilla - in fact Rabbi Sprung left his previous kehilla. There is an article about it at http://www.lukeford.net/blog/?p=184 . Even Rabban Gamliel was sacked! In Israel community rabbis notionally have their contracts expire at 75, and the Rabbanut Harashit was going to terminate Rabbi Riskin's job when he reached 75.
ReplyDeleteThe Mizrachi community in general is very cautious as the last 3 appointments have all had problems.
Anon @ 14:43
ReplyDeleteCome on man. It's a halacha that is accepted by any serious posek of the last couple of hundred years that you do not sack a rabbi.
I would say even more. I would say this rabbanut shtick you mention is wrong and they should be shamed of themselves. Then again they are beholden to the zionist marshals and their secular foundation stone.
Rabbanim paskening that they cannot be sacked strikes me as a significant nogeah bedavar!
DeleteAnd he was not sacked. He had a contract of employment that expired - see YD 245:22 וּבְמָקוֹם שֶׁיֵּשׁ מִנְהָג לְקַבֵּל רַב עַל זְמַן קָצוּב, אוֹ מִּנְהָג לִבְחֹר בְּמִי שֶׁיִּרְצוּ, הָרְשׁוּת בְּיָדָם, (כָּל בּוֹ
And I think you seriously defame such gedolim as R Ovadiah Yosef zt"l etc.
Well then you can say that regarding any law written by Rabbanim regarding Rabbanim!
DeleteWho else should write and pasken for about Rabbanim? VCAT? The local Ombudsman?
Yes, perhaps "technically" he was not sacked, but in effect he was. He contract was renewed once, and not a second time.
Regarding the quote you mention, I'm currently in chambers but I recall offhand a Chassam Sofer teshuva that says clearly that you may not enter into such a contract with a rabbi. I don't recall precise details.
And, hello, R Ovadiah? Don't make me laugh. Sure he was a great talmid chacham and political leader but he was a "rav mitam" for the zionist leaders. Therefore anything he paskened in that regard is useless to torah true jews. Such as his psak on saying hallel on the zionist day of independence, Hashem yerachem. I tell you. Hashem yerachem.
he is gone, when can we see a new rabbi ?
ReplyDeletetime is up for games
we need a rabbi asap
Rabbi Sprung was loved by the frummer parts of Mizrachi. Those more liberal in their views didn't see him as someone who was good enough for them.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they would like Zaychik back.
I don't think you meant to be rude to Rabbi Z (don't know how to spell it frankly.)
DeleteIt's about time!
DeleteTo the board: Please be transparent and let us know who the applicants are. We as members deserve to know the truth.
I think the board is mostly transparent but the issue I have is, we need a new, younger board. And please, more women.
DeleteThe question is, are we looking for emett? Or are we looking for a easy life for ourselves?
ReplyDeleteI once asked a former highly influential member of the board of my shul (Mizrachi) "what are you looking for in a new Rabbi?" This was in the 90s. He replied that he wasn't looking for a Rabbi that would harass members about studying Torah but rather a Rabbi that would understand the benefits of a co educational sytem that leads to professions such as law and medicine. He of course agreed Torah is valuable.
I could not believe it.
Rabbi sprung embodied a man who always sought to bring us close to Hashem. That's what a Rabbi is for.
But I wouldn't give up mizrachi for any other shul in Melbourne.
And this is coming from someone who is a professional and whose children are almost all dati leumi.
Well, my son prays at Daminyan which I don't really enjoy but I understand he has other needs and those are fulfilled by the mysticism of Chabad.
I respect Chabad but it's not who we are as a dat leumi group and community. Chabad have extreme views of tzaniut and hair coverings that are in my opinion completely unnecessary in today's world.
I am not having a go at Chabad. Rabbi Groner was a personal friend and I still speak to Arel at least every Chanukah.
So I am what you would call a paradox.
I really hope we have the zechut to have a new mara d'atra by Shavuot which according to many researchers is the time that Hashem handed the Torah to the am-yehudi.
I hope you're not bashing chabad. Without chabad there would be zero yiddishkeit in Melbourne, I think we all agree.
DeletePerhaps you should read the comments on the Hatzolah TV thread. You will find that without Adass we'd still not be burying our people over Easter or Xmas!
DeleteThe comment in the main article that implies some rewriting of history on the Mizrachi webpage in the absence of Rabbi Sprung there is misleading - he appears under "Rabbinic Leadership". The website is poorly maintained.
ReplyDeleteI don't know where you see any such implication, Peter. It just says "strangely enough".
DeleteIt's not strange. He appears as the rabbinic leadership. Clearly just out of date/ The current president doesnt appear either/ And on the rabbinic leadership page it still shows R Dudi Winkler as Rosh Kollel who has been gone almost 2 years. It's not a conspiracy just a cock up.
DeleteIs Dudi the one who came from the occupied territories?
DeleteHe lives in Beth Shemesh. What difference does it make where he comes from?
DeleteAre you for real Peter> It makes a huge difference.
DeleteAs a socially conscious Jewess I do not want a Jewish rabbinical leader in my community that lived in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Peter is right
ReplyDeleteI spoke to Theo and he agrees with me. The only way we can import a new leader is if we set up a subcommittee appointed by all members and make recommendations for their preferred candidate.
ReplyDeleteTheo who?
DeleteShirah Hadashah is another Orthodox shul that doesnt have a Rabbi.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha. Orthodox he says. lol/.
Deleteian should discuss at the gm re a new rabbi
ReplyDeleteGee I miss Rabbi Sprung. Especially his Tuesday night shiur.
ReplyDeleteI do agreethough that he was the wrong mara d'atra for us.
I miss him and loved him and so did a number of my friends. But the fact is we're way to "modern" as opposed to "orthodox" for such a serious ben torah.
I think it's time we made a decision. Do we want to continue as we currently are or do we wish to move more to the "right" as many mizrachi institutions have in israel.
You would be hard pressed to find a co-ed mizrachi school in israel these days.
Mizrachi has a serious future but only if they have a Rav.
ReplyDeleteWithout a Rav they will be as pathetic as Katanga.
When's the next board elections? July 2?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI highly recommend we take up Rabbi Kennard as our Mara 'D'atra.
ReplyDeleteHe's a talmud chacham and is serious about Judaism but isn't stuck in the shtetl.
What makes you think Rabbi Kennard would be interested. He is an educator, not a community Rav. He has never had a kehilla. I doubt he would even be interested in the principal's job at Yavneh.
DeleteMay 9
DeleteThere are large equivalent co-ed schools in USA - eg Ramaz, Maimonides in Boston etc etc
DeleteI too support Rabbi Kennard. Does he have Smicha?
DeleteWhy do we have Lubavitchers giving derashot at our shul?
ReplyDeleteI'm not racist but surely we don't have the same ideology? Their leader did NOT support the State of Israel not did he support Haredis in our army.
I don't get it.
I second that!
ReplyDeleteRabi Kennard taught both my grandchildren and he's even moved closer to Mizrachi? Surely it's from heaven!
you will never dind a candidate like rabbi Kennard
ReplyDeletegive him the job
we would grow over night and get all the youth back
please ian and danny you will not reget it
please make sure ian we get a full breif re appointment of rabbi at agm
ReplyDeleteif not i will make a fuss and not let you get away with it my patience is running out
you have been put on notice
how about we get g.s.to get involved re the appointment of a new rabbi g.s. will get things moving
ReplyDeletejudisim is not savings $$$$$$$$
we need a rabbinic leader urgently
if the current committee will not commit by the agm when we will have our long waited mara datra i will put a motion up they should all resign
ReplyDeletei strongly belive i have the numbers and I will commit to have our new chief rabbi here before the high holidays
While we are so busy with Mizrachi's lack of rabbi, no one has yet commented upon Yeshiva's disgraceful firing of Rabbi Telsner.
ReplyDeleteA self-described "Chassidish" community with absolutely no leader or leadership!
Well, of course they do have someone in their Shul and that is Rabbi Telsner, a powerful Talmid Chacham, an amazing baal chesed and a true yerei shamayim. But those fools "let him go".
There isn't a single frum Jew in Melb from all communities, be it Adass, Beth Talmud, Ger, Heichal, Katanga etc who doesn't highly respect and admire him.
But for some strange reason, most Yeshiva members are quite happy with the current situation. Shame on them all, shame.
What is it with Melb Jewry that decent rabbonim, talmidei chachomim eg, Rabbis Telsner, Abrahams and Sprung are given the boot whilst lightweight ameratzim "rabbis" (no need to name names - just look around - people who struggle to learn a Mishna - even when using English translated Artscroll) sit assuredly on their thrones getting big salaries for delivering a weekly sermon on some nonsense - eg, movie and book reviews and parroting a few hypocritical lies at funerals?
What is happening with us? And where will we be in 10 years time?
why is every one quiet ?
ReplyDeletedo you care ?
Fair comment about Rabbi Telsner. Seems he was also too frum for his modern orthodox lubavitch community.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Kornhauser should open a new shul, install Telsner as chief rabbi and then Melbourne will once again have a frum chabad kehilla like we did back in the days of reb nochum.
Is there any truth in the frum world anymore?
ReplyDeleteSprung - kicked out or not re-elected... Telsner definitely pressured to go. And who pressured him? People interested in yiddishkeit? Or people who mix with chilonim in their Collins St high rises?