Important Public Notice From Chief Bukharian Rabbinate Of USA & Canada

As is well known, the Bukharian community has been blessed to have Rabbi Eliyahu Ben Chaim serve as Av Beth Din (Chief Rabbinical Judge) for approximately 30 years with Chief Bukharian Rabbi Yitzchak Yisraeli serving as an assistant Dayan (Rabbinical Judge) for nearly two decades.

As such, 40 Rabbis that serve our Bukharian community in the United States and Canada signed a public document stating that no one has the authority to open a new Beth Din in our community in order to keep the community UNITED under ONE leadership and under ONE set of rules, as it has been running beautifully for decades.

In addition, the great Torah sage and posek from Jerusalem, Rav David Yosef, a son of the late Rav Ovadia Yosef zatzal, wrote that it is FORBIDDEN for anyone in the Bukharian community to make any Torah decisions for the community without the approval of Chief Bukharian Rabbi Yitzchak Yisraeli and Av Beth Din Rabbi Ben Haim. 

Indeed, after seeing this, one would expect people to have basic Derech Eretz and accept the rulings of these great sages and to keep the community united as one. 

But unfortunately, the Yetzer Hara has his ways and some of the members of a local Bukharian Synagogue had the audacity  to ignore the position of our Rabbinical leadership and chose the path of breaking the community in to two parts by opening their own “Beth Din” that would fit their convenience.

Thus, after receiving many questions about the legitimacy of this so called Beth Din, the Chief Bukharian Rabbinate of the United States and Canada is once again publicizing parts of a public warning signed by Rabbi Ben Haim, Rabbi Yisraeli and Rabbi Haimoff on this matter:

“We are hereby announcing and warning the entire public about the severe and terrible breach taking place in the Bukharian communities of the United States and Canada, as it was recently announced that a young yeshiva student named R’ Shlomo Yishai Rabin of Jerusalem, was opening a Beth Din in our community in Queens, despite the strong opposition of the Rabbis who have been leading the Bukharian community here for decades, and even after the Rabbis informed him of their opposition.

 “......We therefore declare that Baruch Babayev, Shlomo Rabin and their Beth Din have absolutely no authority nor credibility, and they may not summon any one to court nor to render rulings....and all their decisions are worthless as a broken pottery that has no value”.

The letter further stated “He (Shlomo Rabin) has recently proven himself as a person who pursues honor and added to his terrible deeds when he went with Baruch Babayev to several great sages in Israel, and via deception convinced them to give them all sorts of letters as support, in order to confuse the general public”.

“..... We have absolutely no doubt that Babayev and Rabin are a great danger to the future of the Bukharian community here in the United States and Canada, both from a spiritual and physical perspective”.

The letter from the Chief Bukharian Rabbinate further stated “We therefore hereby announce that from now on, no individual may interfere with any matters relating to the Bukharian communities in the United States and Canada, except for the Rabbis of the Chief Rabbinate of Bukharian Jews, over which we preside, together with the majority of the community’s Rabbis, and with great thanks to Hashem, are cooperating and working in great unity and are saving and instructing thousands upon thousands of our community members.....

The letter concludes by stating “We must publicize and.....warn all the Bukharian Jews in the Diaspora that Rabin and Babayev may NOT be relied upon for any matters of religion or law, and anyone who can influence them and bring them to repent will be blessed, and when they repent they will be healed”.

Indeed, everyone is encouraged to notify their friends and family about all the above information to assure they don’t get fooled by the false information being spread. 

Over the next few days the Chief Bukharian Rabbinate of the USA and Canada may be compelled to publicize more information about this matter in order to protect the community from the stumbling blocks being created.

The community is reminded that a Beth Din is not something that random people  can decide to open due to their convenience. It is a serious responsibility that only great Torah sages of each community must head and guide.  The Bukharian community (and the whole Jewish community of New York) has been blessed with the leadership of Rabbi Ben Haim and Rabbi Yisraeli who are both serving us faithfully for decades. They both studied under the greatest Sephardic Torah scholars of our generation, including Rav Ovadia Yosef and as stated by Rav David Yosef, it is forbidden for anyone in the community to make Torah decisions for the community without their approval.