David Lau
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David Baruch Lau ( he, דוד לאו; born 13 January 1966) is the
Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
Chief Rabbi of Israel The Chief Rabbinate of Israel ( he, הָרַבָּנוּת הָרָאשִׁית לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Ha-Rabbanut Ha-Rashit Li-Yisra'el'') is recognized by law as the supreme rabbinic authority for Judaism in Israel. The Chief Rabbinate Co ...
. He was appointed after achieving a majority of the vote on 24 July 2013. He previously served as the Chief Rabbi of
Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut ( he, מוֹדִיעִין-מַכַּבִּים-רֵעוּת) is an Israeli city located in central Israel, about southeast of Tel Aviv and west of Jerusalem, and is connected to those two cities via Highway 443. In t ...
, Israel, and as the Chief Rabbi of
Shoham Shoham ( he, שֹׁהַם, ''lit.'' onyx) is a town ( local council) in the Central District of Israel. The name relates to one of the 12 stones on the Hoshen, the sacred breastplate worn by a Jewish high priest (Exodus 28:20), similar to othe ...
. Lau is the son of former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi
Yisrael Meir Lau Yisrael Meir Lau ( he, ישראל מאיר לאו; born 1 June 1937) served as the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Israel, and chairman of Yad Vashem. He previously served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1993 to 2003. Biography Early life ...
.


Biography

David Baruch Lau was born in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
. He studied at Yeshivat Yishuv HaHadash, and later at Yeshivat Beit Matityahu and
Ponevezh Yeshiva Ponevezh Yeshiva, often pronounced as Ponevitch Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת פוניבז׳), is a yeshiva founded in 1908, and located in Bnei Brak, Israel since 1944. The yeshiva has over three thousand students, including those of affiliated insti ...
. Lau is married to Tzipporah Ralbag.


Rabbinic career

Lau was the first rabbi of the town of
Shoham Shoham ( he, שֹׁהַם, ''lit.'' onyx) is a town ( local council) in the Central District of Israel. The name relates to one of the 12 stones on the Hoshen, the sacred breastplate worn by a Jewish high priest (Exodus 28:20), similar to othe ...
. When the city of
Modi'in Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut ( he, מוֹדִיעִין-מַכַּבִּים-רֵעוּת) is an Israeli city located in central Israel, about southeast of Tel Aviv and west of Jerusalem, and is connected to those two cities via Highway 443. In t ...
was established, he was chosen as its Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, alongside the
Sephardi Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...
Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Alharar. Along with Alharar, he established
Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
classes in the city, including on the subjects of
kashrut (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...
,
eruvim An eruv (; he, עירוב, , also transliterated as eiruv or erub, plural: eruvin or eruvim) is a ritual halakhic enclosure made for the purpose of allowing activities which are normally prohibited on Shabbat (due to the prohibition of ''h ...
, and
Jewish wedding A Jewish wedding is a wedding ceremony that follows Jewish laws and traditions. While wedding ceremonies vary, common features of a Jewish wedding include a ''ketubah'' (marriage contract) which is signed by two witnesses, a ''chuppah'' or ''hu ...
s. Lau is a reserve
major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
in the Intelligence Corps. Lau was one of the first rabbis in Israel to teach
responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...
over the internet. Since the summer of 2006, he has appeared every Friday on the show "Ask the Rabbi" on HaArutz HaRishon, a show about
halakhic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
questions and answers. Since 1999, he broadcast the daily program "Jewish Point" on the radio station
Kol Chai Kol Chai ( he, קול חי) is a Haredi and National Religious radio station in Israel established in 1996. The station, based in Bnei Brak, broadcasts six days a week: not on Shabbat. Frequencies Contributors ;Current *David Lau * Mordech ...
. On 24 June 2013, Lau was elected as
Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
Chief Rabbi of Israel The Chief Rabbinate of Israel ( he, הָרַבָּנוּת הָרָאשִׁית לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, ''Ha-Rabbanut Ha-Rashit Li-Yisra'el'') is recognized by law as the supreme rabbinic authority for Judaism in Israel. The Chief Rabbinate Co ...
. At the time, he was the youngest person (at 47) to be elected to that position. The inauguration took place on 14 August 2013 at the official residence of the
President of Israel The president of the State of Israel ( he, נְשִׂיא מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Nesi Medinat Yisra'el, or he, נְשִׂיא הַמְדִינָה, Nesi HaMedina, President of the State) is the head of state of Israel. The posi ...
. In 2020, during the
coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, Lau declared that no one should touch or kiss ''
mezuzot A ''mezuzah'' ( he, מְזוּזָה "doorpost"; plural: ''mezuzot'') is a piece of parchment, known as a ''klaf'', contained in a decorative case and inscribed with specific Hebrew verses from the Torah ( and ). These verses consist of the J ...
'', in order to prevent further spread of the virus.


Published works

Lau has published articles in journals such as
Tehumin ''Tehumin'' ( he, תחומין, Tehumin being an acronym for ''Torah Hevrah UMedINa'' ( he, תורה חברה ומדינה), lit. ''Torah, Society and State'') is a Hebrew-language annual journal of articles about Jewish law and Modernity. Histo ...
, and edited a book of his father's responsa titled ''Yichil Yisrael''. He also edited and published a book in memory of his grandfather, Yitzchak Yedidya Frankel. In 2008, he published his book ''Maskil LeDavid'' on issues of genealogy, conversion, military law, and other matters.


Controversies

Lau took a ''
semikhah Semikhah ( he, סמיכה) is the traditional Jewish name for rabbinic ordination. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 C ...
'' (rabbinic ordination) test in 1993.
Dov Lior Dov Lior ( he, דב ליאור, born 30 October 1933) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi who served as the Chief Rabbi of Hebron and Kiryat Arba in the southern West Bank until late 2014. He is the rosh yeshiva of the Kiryat Arba Hesder Yeshiva and hea ...
, the administering rabbi, asserted that Lau brought papers with answers to previous tests into the exam room. Lau denied the allegations, but he was disqualified. He was re-tested in 1994, and passed the exam. In his first week in office as Chief Rabbi of Israel, Lau referred to African-Americans who play basketball on Israeli teams as '' kushim''. Although in a Biblical context, it refers to the ancient
Kingdom of Kush The Kingdom of Kush (; Egyptian language, Egyptian: 𓎡𓄿𓈙𓈉 ''kꜣš'', Akkadian language, Assyrian: ''Kûsi'', in LXX grc, Κυς and Κυσι ; cop, ''Ecōš''; he, כּוּשׁ ''Kūš'') was an ancient kingdom in Nubia, ce ...
, it is currently considered a derogatory term for
Black people Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...
. His comments were widely condemned as racist, and MK
Amram Mitzna Amram Mitzna ( he, עמרם מצנע, born 20 February 1945) is an Israeli politician and former general in the IDF. He is a former mayor of Haifa (1993–2003) and Yeruham (2005–2010) and led the Labor Party from 2002 to 2003. In 2012 he joine ...
and Ethiopian-born MK Pnina Tamanu-Shata called upon him to apologize.
Naftali Bennett Naftali Bennett ( he, נַפְתָּלִי בֶּנֶט, Transliterated: , ; born 25 March 1972) is an Israeli politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Israel from 13 June 2021 to 30 June 2022, and as the 3rd Alternate Prime Minist ...
, however, defended Lau. In 2018, Lau was accused of trying to appoint his brother-in-law, Mordechai Ralbag, as a replacement for a rabbinical judge who was investigating corruption involving ''hekdeshot'' (Haredi non-profit property trusts). Lau and the Ralbag family denied any wrongdoing. Later that year, during the immediate aftermath of a shooting at a Conservative synagogue, Lau gave an interview to a
Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
newspaper during which he avoided calling the attack venue a synagogue, referring to it only as "a place with profound Jewish flavor". The omission was taken as a snub by Jews from non-Orthodox congregations. In August 2019, Lau instructed the ''
chevra kadisha The term ''Chevra kadisha'' (Modern Hebrew: חֶבְרָה קַדִּישָׁא) gained its modern sense of "burial society" in the nineteenth century. It is an organization of Jewish men and women who see to it that the bodies of deceased Je ...
'' to delay the burial in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
of the mother of an American Haredi man, Yisrael Meir Kin, until he agreed to give his wife a
get Get or GET may refer to: * Get (animal), the offspring of an animal * Get (divorce document), in Jewish religious law * GET (HTTP), a type of HTTP request * "Get" (song), by the Groggers * Georgia Time, used in the Republic of Georgia * Get AS, a ...
(religious writ of divorce). Kin's relatives in Israel deposited $20,000 with the Supreme Rabbinical Court and signed a document pledging to do what they could to convince him. Kin accused Lau of corruption, and said that no one from Lau's office had contacted him. He said that the divorce papers had been filed ten years earlier at a religious court in
Monsey, New York Monsey (, yi, מאנסי, translit=Monsi) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States, located north of Airmont, east of Viola, south of New Hempstead, and west of Spring Valley. The ...
, and Lau, who was related to his wife, had taken sides in the case. A relative of Lau denied that he was related, but ''
Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...
'' determined that they are in fact related, though distantly. Lau's office responded to Kin's statements, saying that the chief rabbi was not aware of the family relation while dealing with the case, and that they were sorry that Kin, who had denied his wife a get "for more than 15 years", was "continuing his refusal despite the agreements reached... auwill continue his unwavering war on the phenomenon of ''get''-refusal, and "will do everything he can, including mposingthe most severe sanctions, to end any case of ''get''-refusal that may develop". Officials in the
Ministry of Religious Services The Ministry of Religious Services ( he, המשרד לשירותי דת (''HaMisrad leSherutay Dat'') (formerly Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ministry of Religion) is a government ministry of Israel that handles Jewish religious affairs. Resp ...
said the chief rabbi has no jurisdiction over burial matters. In December 2021, Lau was criticised for attending the
shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
of prominent Haredi author
Chaim Walder Chaim Eliezer Walder (; 15 November 1968 – 27 December 2021) was an Israeli Haredi author of literature for children, adolescents, and adults. In 1993, he became an Israeli publishing sensation with his bestselling first book, ''Yeladim Mesap ...
, who had committed suicide amidst allegations of being involved in sexual abuse against minors and married women.
Natan Slifkin Natan Slifkin (also Nosson Slifkin) ( he, נתן סליפקין; born 25 June 1975 in Manchester, England), popularly known as the "Zoo Rabbi," is a British-born Israeli Modern Orthodox community rabbi and the director of the Biblical Museum of N ...
wrote in a blogpost Lau subsequently issued a statement encouraging sexual assault victims to come forward and report the abuse to the proper authorities.


References


External link

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lau, David 1966 births 20th-century Israeli rabbis 21st-century Israeli rabbis Chief rabbis of Israel Israeli Orthodox rabbis Living people People from Tel Aviv Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent