Ask civic leaders of the organized jewish communities of the EU to help, not religious leaders. We have enough problems with dati politics as it is...

“Today, it is impossible to untangle the attitude towards Jews with the ambivalence directed at Israel in parts of the European continent,” Gold said. I FEEL MANY LEADERS AND RABBIS ARE AMBIVALENT TOWARDS THE JEWS AND ISRAELS PROBLEMS.Each for its own reason.I put them together for the sake of brevity here. Rabbis think that if the JEW is not 'FRUM' they are outside of the THEIR problem..iTS SOMEONE ELSES PROBLEM.. WHO'S PROBLEM IS IT? ISRAEL LEADERS assume that 'if the world has eyes it can see ISRAEL being attacked. 4000 yrs of history Israeli 'leaders' are the ones that CANT SEE.

both become less influential. Using rabbis as an arm of the Israeli government is a truly stupid idea. For then, shouldn't 'Jews' be blamed for Israeli governmental policies? And, if they are blamed, should such blame be deemd 'anti-semitic? When the rabbis have become an official hasbara arm of such government?

you even offer a comment? This is something you just don't understand and can't understand as no matter how critically you think you read Ynet, you're just too closed and your socalled "research" is too flimsy. Here's a hint: Are Jews a "people" or a "religion"? Here's another hint: Many peoples have been characterized by both. Now try some serious study!

Can't handle the truth?

religion and pulic relations have nothing in common,dont let the rabbis make more damage to our image the state does a good job

One of Israels greatest problems is its failure to separate religion from state. ie Israel is not a true democracy.The worst possible move would be to use Rabbis to be our ambassadors ie totally out of tune with the enlightened world. You only need to listen to the drivel they espouse and you will understand.

Asking rabbis to politic for Israel in mostly secular Europe is about the dumbest idea I have heard yet. Europeans see religion in Israel as a huge part of the problem.

comes up with another brilliant PR miasma.

Wake up and smell the coffee Jdaism is a religion. The only ones who can represent Judaism are those that actually know the first thing about it. Not the politicians but the Rabbis Israel can never separate religion from state since the state will be worthless

..let them deal with the mess they made. It is the teachings of the religious and the cult like behavior caused by rabinical demonization of the goy that has so many nations fed up. Let the rabbis sit in the hot seat and continue to tick of even the most righteous of nations. Yeah, that is just what we need. (sarcasim) These guys can even manage to connect Jews to real Torah, how can they connect us to the world? Even with the binding of tephilin on every corner, they can't even spur people to recall the eser debrot. The techas requires at least this. Bet they would like nothing better than to isolate the oppressed Hebrews of their cult into a smaller box and show them how making relationships and being a light to the world is totally fruitless. Religion thrives when the world rallies against the Jews. NOT. If rabbis want to be judges, they need to be qualified, stable, righteous, logical and based in Torah. So far I see none of these qualities. Now to be an ambassador you need to understand more about the world than one who lives in a bubble of cult fantasy, false monster hunting, and oppression. I can't see it but maybe I am mistaken.

Quote: "Jdaism is a religion. The only ones who can represent Judaism are those that actually know the first thing about it. Not the politicians but the Rabbis....Israel can never separate religion from state since the state will be worthless". Yoni ha jakar: You're right about religion, but Judaïsm is more than that: it's a culture and a nation. The people who founded modern Israël were looking for a political unit - a 'home land' - for(all) the Jewish people. Sure, there were religious people among the 'revisionist' wing of Zionism and they exerted influence on Ben Gurion, Chaïm Weizman et al. But they didn't give a monopoly on other things than religious affairs to the rabbanim. 'Senior figures in the Israëli government' and a 'government minister' asking Rav Metzger to enlist Israëli or European rabbis to engage in Israël advocacy or even as 'ambassadors' of Israël would create a parallel structure: we have Israëli ambassadors already in many world capitals. Besides that Rabbis have a very particular(ist) viewpoint on Israël, not one necessarily shared by the majority of the Israëli population. They're not representative nor elected for/by the whole of Israël. They can engage(and do already) on a personal basis. That gives them the freedom to speak their mind while at the same time having to answer to the demands of their communities. Making them official 'representatives of Israël would put them in an impossible position. This would diminish their status and authority rather than enhance it. Rav Metzger should've politely refused this spurious political request. Staying out of daily politics is the best thing that rabbanim can do, they can(&do) exert considerable informal influence. Show your hand openly & you'll expose yourself & loose, because you'll be seen as 'corrupted'(serving 2 masters) and competing with state officials. Not a good idea.

B"H This innocent-looking news-item spells major Israeli attack on Judaism. Why? Because rabbis to be rabbis have to be under Torah and not under secular State's directives. I have precise info on how the Israeli foreign ministry pressured Rome's chief rabbi into inviting the xtian boss into his synagogue, an event that provoked the division of Italian Jewry and now lead to the collapse of Rome's Jewish Community Council. Israel, hands off from our rabbis and Jewish institutions!