Rabbi Yitzchok Elefant, Shlita, an American born Chief Rabbi of Dimona in southern Israel for almost 40 years, says it can and must be done! To explain: all over Israel there are more than 15,000 shuls, and almost all have no rabbanim at all! This is something hard for Americans to grasp; they cannot understand what a kehila would look like without a Rav. Who will answer halachic questions when necessary, and give shiurim daily? Who will provide encouragement to the new bar-mitzvah boy to strengthen him to continue coming to shul and grow in his Yiddishkeit? These are obviously tasks of a shul Rav. Similarly, when a death in the family occurs, Chas Veshalom, the first thing a frum Jew in the US would do is to approach the rabbi on how to go about the burial, shiva, and the like, and to get emotional support. A shul or community Rav plays a most critical role in the United States. This is not so in Israel. Israel would be a completely different country if shuls in all parts of Israel had Rabbonim who give shiurim, comforted mourners when necessary, guide Bar-Mitzvah boys, help people with their shalom bayis issues, and accomplish all the tasks of a qualified Rav. About Dimona’s Chief Rabbi and his plan Rabbi Elefant, the grandson of the illustrious Rabbi Eliezer Kirzner Z’l of Boro park, is a musmach of Yeshiva Emek Halacha from Rabbi Tovia Goldstien Z’l. In addition, he has smicha from the Israeli Chief Rabbanit- a Smicha at the level of a Chief Rabbi of a town. He is certain that if caring, devoted Rabbanim could be hired at a fair but reasonable salary to service the large number of currently leaderless shuls all over Israel, there would be a revolutionary surge of Torah growth in the country! The Rabbi’s Goals and some Achievements Rabbi Elefant’s goal is to train local Bnei Torah and to place them in local shuls all over Israel to be Rabbanim and serve as their leader. He has come up with a plan that will offer opportunities to Jews from all over the world to sponsor a Rav for each shul that is currently without one. In addition to his regular responsibilities, he is currently training and placing rabbonim in shuls all over Israel! As of now, he has 18 Rabbonim in 30 shuls in 10 towns that he funds, and they develop a personal connection with their congregants on their own level of Yiddishkeit. These Rabbanim are Ashkenazim and Sephardim, black kippot and knitted kippot, with one condition-shyirasam kodemes lechochmosom. Indeed, major changes have been seen among religious, traditional, and secular Jews. For example, one of the rabbis that he placed is Rabbi David Raz. He conducts daily shiurim attended by 20-25 people. 40 people attend his shul on Shabbos in Netivot, and 20 attend his Gemara shiur there. At the same shul, during shalosh seudos, many of the members have risen to the level of being able to create and say a Divrei Torah publicly themselves, an achievement that they would have not dreamed about a few years back! Rabbi Raz says that through the shiurim, speeches, and communal activities that are taking place in the shuls, many families are now Shoimrei Shabbos, observe taharas hamishpacha, and […]

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