....that can be managed, just a small problem at time over certain issues on marriage, conversions. when I was there in Belgium, they thought I was from Britain, some thought I was turkish, I met many of my bagdadi and persian jewry. I must say that the european jewry is at times so backward, in so many ways, shocking in the economic sense,of course the best is FRANCE. I simply love orthodox of Israel and Australia- Number one; Singapore , Number two France, three Singapore, four Thailand, five Myanmar, six thailand and Malaysia hopeless :-) Of couse Israel CREAM of THE CROP :-)

Did you ask them why they support these seemingly anti-Torah attitudes? Let's look these 2 examples - kosher and intermarriage - from close perspective. Kosher. Do you know how difficult it is do obtain kosher food in some communities?! SPECIALLY in communities that were first in grip of Nazism and than in grip of Communism? You speak from the comfort of Britain or France with minyan being self-evident and normal. I came from a community that has 30 practicing Jews, among them only 10 males. And you push them now to jump from deep assimilation to full orthodoxy - you will not get them to take burden of Torah, you will push them from community! My rabbi took the great way: he didn't force nothing, he worked to make conditions. He checked what can be proclaimed kosher, announced kosher certificate for firms that want exporting their goods etc. He moved things - today more people, even blood-Jews who didn't want to have anything to do with Judaism, look if something is kosher or not. Intermarriage. As you know, what Nazism didn't destroy, Communism assimilated. Jewish communities there are something between social clubs and chorus society for cultural perseverance. Result is that you have only 2 types of people: 1) Jews who are in communities since they know for themselves (minority) and that know each other for ages and simply do not feel the urge to marry among themselves. 2) Jews that totally assimilated and do not want anything to do with Judaism. So, intermarriage I DO NOT look as a "evil", PROVIDE THAT THE DOMINANT MEMBER IS JEWISH ORIENTED. That means that the other partner will once convert to Judaism. You see, rabbi, this attitude is not anti-Torah or something like that. No, it is very realistic and knows that in the end, there are 2 choices: Either we go and rebuild communities in Europe, and that is LONG AND HARD process, or you lock everything up and say that no one can be Jew in small communities of Europe and that the only place where you can convert is Israel or America's great centers (Washington, New York...).

B"H We go by halacha, Jewis Law, not by survays or percentage figures that reflect "feelings". On this account, I've heard even of a (so called) rabbi approved bat mitzvah, where the girl's father and mother's father are the only Jews in the family. Now that does not make some one Jewish! Rubber stamping celebrations like this our "rabbis" are actually contributing to the dissolution of the Jewish people by assimilation and wide-spread Hellenism.

Most secular Jews in the Galut will disappear as Jews with only the Orthodox remaining Jewish. In Israel, at least for now, people are still Jewish as long as they have a Jewish mother. Six million Jews died in the European Holocaust, but the Silent Holocaust is killing off more.

who knew?

Many Jews are orthodox in name only ? Of Course....! The same applies to rabbis (anointed by?). I am not talking about those " plus royalist que le roi " who favor (chastity patrols), segregation (bus, store),cheat jews in the US(Iowa meat plant),or selling pork to other orthodox jews (Brooklyn),or abusing women & children and hide it from authorities (a common occurrence). NO, I am talking about ALL orthodox Jews; They behave like ALL human do, the good and the bad included It does not give them (the rabbis) THE RIGHT TO ORDER OTHER JEWS ; what they should or should not do, while cheating them of their money when they get married, divorced, die, bribe for kashrut & more. ONLY DICTATORS DICTATE. No free men should tolerate this; duplicate the rif-raf like the taliban, al-qaeda, and others is not welcome in our democratic society.

I have worked with UK Rabbis for decades and I can say that Dayan Lichtenstein is one of the most talented, competent and honorable members of the Rabbinate. Your libel reflects only on you.

#2 I believe you lost the whole point. The rabbi is stating a fact that there is an ever increase in intermarriage. We are not talking about genetics here with dominants and recessives we are talking about real people Jewish people who have forgotten or just don’t care to remember what it was like in their one time observant homes. We are the same people that taught the world how to turn the other cheek; we are also that people that by lighting a candle your curse the darkness. Torah is the eternal light and by studying it there will be a greater light. Ignorance is not bliss and there is enough literature out there in all languages that if a person really wants to know about his roots he can read up on it. I am interested in reborn Jews and not converts. Even if the person converted; what were the standards utilized to bringing this person into the fold? Kashrut was never intended to be a hardship on anyone. American military personnel during WWII kept kosher without all that much assistance from the US military. There was just a Polish Jewish soldier that was exhumed as there is a road that is being built and they were moving bodies. One the rabbi was exhumed the Chevra Kadisha were shocked as he was as he had died. He was a very righteous man and he was fully intact. When they exhumed this Jewish Polish soldier he too was fully intact; do you know why? He kept kosher when it was extremely difficult but he did it. His Polish scum comrades went to the commander and told him that this soldier refused to eat the rations. The soldiers held this Jewish soldier down and forcibly shoved a piece of pork down his throat. Rather than swallowing it, the Jewish soldier chocked and died on it. Don’t dwell on petty things when there a lot demanding things. Minyan, it should be an honor to be a participant to be one of the members of the minyan. To attend minyan is not supposed to be a tortuous event; it is supposed to be a soul lifting event if you will let it just happened. I am glad to see that your rabbi went out and checked food manufacturing facilities so that “his” community could benefit from the kosher approved food. I see that also got the companies business as they are now exporting these kosher products so that means he is getting an extra stipend from his work. We know all too well what Communism did to our Russian brethren. There are still many and I mean many that did not allow this mind bending to torque their attitudes away from believing in The Almighty. There are many that spent much time in Siberia that came out and continued on G-D’s Path. Stop making excuses as that is all they are and get your act together and help the rabbi rebuild the community. You can always call in Chabad as they are always willing to be of help to wayward communities. #6 Your comment is uncalled for and before making unsubstantiated accusations it is a good idea to provide points of evidence which you seem to have forgotten to provide. You are now the one in question by me. It seems you have a personal one to pick with R’ Lichtenstein.

Addendum #9: If you would visit present day Greece and take a good long look you would also see a very sad situation. You have to pull teeth to get a minyan during the week. On Shabbat, males ages 55 and below are no where to be found and that goes for the women’s section. The community shows up en masse only if they are honoring someone, otherwise the minyan on Shabbat depends on who the Chabad rabbi has for guests. The people’s cellular phones are going off every few minutes. The men use transliterations from Hebrew to Greek when they are given an honor at the Torah; they have forgotten how to read Hebrew. The rabbi of the Athens community lends his name to a lady who does ?kosher? catering. She is not even Shomer Shabbat but he always her to prepare dairy and meat meals unsupervised. There is but one kosher bakery in Greece and it is no thanks to the rabbis in Greece. The baked goods served at the Shabbat morning kiddush are not kosher approved by anyone. Visitors that have come to services are not greeted by the community. If you want a reliably kosher meal you go to the Chabad rabbi’s apartment and 90% of the food is imported. Who is to blame? The rabbis and the individual Jewish communities, all saw how post war Europe had destroyed entire Jewish communities and how religious life needed a major revamping but they basically ignored what was happening. On Chania, Crete there is a synagogue composed of Jews, Muslims, X-tians and others. This group took it upon themselves to compose their own Haggadah as the traditional one that Jews have been using for hundreds of years up till now is indigestible to them. The rate of intermarriage is greater than 60% in Greece. Must I say more? Thanks to the Chabad rabbi Greece has a chance.