Beth Din ruling on Limmud out of step with world Jewry

Gershon David, Johannesburg

I haven’t yet attended Limmud, and look to the rabbinate for guidance. However, I’m puzzled.

In reviewing the statistics, there were 90 Limmud groups in 42 countries in 2017. There were 72 events with 40 000 participants, plus 4 000 volunteers. The statistics for 2018 will be even higher.

Throughout the world, the South African rabbinate stands alone in precluding members from attending.

The questions that arise are as follows: given our Beth Din ruling, are all orthodox rabbis attending overseas in conflict with the halacha, including Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth? If a South African rabbi/rebbetzin attends or lectures at Limmud overseas, would they be contravening the South African Beth Din ruling?

Could this be isolating us from world Jewry? If this is the case, how can our leadership subject our small and precious community to this vulnerability? For what purpose?

Rabbi Goldstein’s somewhat opaque opinion piece does not bring sufficient light to these questions.