Dear Readers,
On behalf of the entire Bukharian Jewish Link family, I would like to thank you for your outpouring of support for our new publication. Baruch Hashem, men and women of all ages have really accepted the BJL with open arms and made it an instant hit. People are already asking us to publish weekly, and some actually look forward to it being a daily newspaper! It’s a challenge we may accept in the future... but please, let’s take it one step at a time.
It truly touches my heart to see everyone excited about this new project. In fact, right before Rosh HaShanah, I had the great opportunity to meet Rav Yitzchak Yosef, the Sefardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, and Rav Yitzchak Yisraeli, the Chief Rabbi of the Bukharian community in the US and Canada. I told them about the progress of the newspaper; they both accepted me warmly and gave me their blessings for continued success. I am truly honored to be a messenger for this great project.
Speaking of the Chief Rabbi, there seems to be a lot of talk about this topic. What is the role of a chief rabbi? What are prerequisites to become a chief rabbi?
I think the following observation will help answer this question.
If I read several science books, do I become a scientist? If I watch a video on how to perform brain surgery, am I fit to be a brain surgeon? What if I passed a few courses in college? Does that suffice to make me an expert in a specific field?
There is a famous saying that “knowledge is power.” But knowledge can also be very deceiving. A person can read some books on medicine and impress many people who aren’t well-versed in the field. But let’s be realistic: That doesn’t make him a doctor! Some people may even consult with him for their medical needs, but by answering them he may be putting his “patients” in danger. In other words, to become a doctor, lawyer, accountant, or scientist, you need to pass several major hurdles that have been determined by professionals of the field. Being declared a doctor by a diamond dealer is not worth much, to say the least.
With that being said, a chief rabbi of a community should be chosen by rabbis of that community who are well-versed in the field of Jewish law. After all, the role of a chief rabbi is to be the “rabbi of the rabbis.” His knowledge should surpass those of his pears, or at least be at a level that demands their respect. In order to be a chief rabbi, you need the rabbis that you represent to accept you as their rabbi and understand that your word is final to them. A chief rabbi’s decisions impact the entire rabbinical board he represents. If that is not the case with a chief rabbi, then, forgive me for saying this, that position would be nothing but a joke.
Recently, a commotion took place in our community when a certain individual was chosen to be a “chief rabbi” by a respected businessman in Israel. This businessman has given his life and soul for Jewish causes. He truly cares for the future of the Jewish people and especially for the Bukharian community. However, it truly is unfortunate that he is being fooled by certain individuals in New York into thinking that his choice for chief rabbi is actually the choice of the Bukharian Rabbinate. This can’t be any further from the truth.
In fact, as one who attended the official coronation of this supposed “chief rabbi,” I saw an atmosphere of confusion. Everyone seemed shocked and many quite disappointed, including some of the business leaders of our community. A day later, the truth was revealed…and the truth is quite sad.
At a meeting hosted by Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Chaim at the Beit Din of Queens, approximately 40 community rabbis were in attendance. Four or five of them also attended the so-called “coronation” of the new chief rabbi the day before, and one by one they stood up and expressed their shock at what happened.
As an example, Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov stood up and stated he was invited by the Bukharian Congress to what was supposed to be a simple “l’chaim” for the holidays and he was utterly shocked to see how they staged this whole appointment of a supposedly new chief rabbi. Rabbi Avreich Kaziyev expressed his amazement at being fooled as well, and that was the reaction of Rabbi Yaakov Nasirov and Rabbi Chagai Niazov too.
When I saw this happen, I told myself that the truth must be made known to the greater public. People must realize that many of our rabbis give their hearts and souls to help our community grow. We have numerous wonderful organizations that work with our youth and inspire thousands every year. We have rabbis and rebbetzins who stay up all night to help people who are having issues of shalom bayit. They are available at nearly all times of the day to give encouragement to community members who are dealing with the various issues they may be facing.
As such, we businessmen should appreciate the work of our rabbis and help them take our community to the next level. We definitely must not dictate to them who is deserving of what position. Only our rabbis have the expertise as to who is fit to be a chief rabbi, who is fit to be a rabbinical judge, who is fit to perform a marriage ceremony, who is fit to perform a brit milah, and so on and so forth.
The real chief rabbi of the Bukharian community, Rav Yitzchak Yisraeli, is a renowned Torah scholar respected by all the rabbis in our community and beyond. He was appointed to this position by the rabbinical leaders of our community. These are the basic facts - not fake news!
As such, a chief rabbi is not just a title; it’s a responsibility. Expertise in all areas of the Torah is a prerequisite and Rav Yisraeli fits the bill. He has dedicated his entire life exclusively to the study and dissemination of Torah. And he has excelled at his job. In fact, a nice majority of the rabbis in the Bukharian community are his students and consult with him for all major questions.
As we reach the holy day of Yom Kippur and the beautiful holiday of Sukkot, let us all unite and work together to improve our community. Unfortunately, there is much to work on. Drug abuse is rampant. Divorces are on the rise. Problems are popping up everywhere. However, we can all make a difference! But everyone has their roles and they should focus on their roles. Let the doctors be doctors, the lawyers be lawyers, and the rabbis be rabbis. We must all work together for a brighter future, but everyone must also know their boundaries. With that we will see even greater accomplishments in our community.
Wishing a G’mar Chatima Tova to all!
Avraham Yakubov
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