KOL HAKAVOD RABBI BILLET:

More On Father Patrick Desbois    

Dear Friends:

Father Patrick Desbois is a Catholic priest who has devoted

many years to finding mass graves of Jews in the Holocaust.  Rabbi Billet invited Father Desbois to YIW so he could convey his story.

In my mind, we Jews a debt of gratitude to this wonderful gentleman for his work.  Of course, it raises the question in my mind why we Jews are not doing the same. We chase after Nazis to avenge them, but we do not search out these mass graves so that we can mark them, say "Kel Maleh Rachamim" to honor those we lost to sanctify G-d's name.  What a shame.  

Those Rabbis who stood up publicly against Rabbi Billet, it appears to me, greatly risked their seat in the world to come.  If they had differing opinions, they should have been dealt with on a personal level with Rabbi Billet.  It is not to say that they are wrong, but their differences should have been dealt with more on the level of Shamai and Hillel, than the students of Rabbi Akiva, AH.  -Suri

The following is the letter Rabbi Billet wrote to his congregants:  

Dear Congregants:

A number of people have approached me about some of the negative public reaction to YIW's invitation to Father Desbois to speak in our JKMMS sanctuary on Shabbos morning. There were opinion articles in Yated Ne'eman  http://www.yated.com/content.asp?contentid=504 and in the local 5 Towns Jewish Times   http://www.5tjt.com/local-news/12353-a-priest-in-the-sanctuary  as well as several letters and an editor's remark in the latter paper. There was one local Rabbi who announced before the end of services that he wanted to go on record with a protest over the YIW event lest people mistake his silence as approval of the event. "Many Five Towns Rabbis" were acknowledged anonymously as having expressed their displeasure. None of these Rabbis ever called to discuss the matter or to inquire as to what exactly was happening in YIW or what halachic basis if any, was used to allow the event to take place in the manner that it did. Neither writer in the two above mentioned papers called to check their facts. Both got facts wrong. But the 5 Times Jewish Times was far more factually on target than the Yated. The Editor of the Times also responded with incorrect information to a letter he received on this subject. See Editor's remarks http://www.5tjt.com/local-news/12439-rabbinic-decisions-selective-scrutiny#addcomments. This week's 5 Towns Times has another letter on the subject : http://www.5tjt.com/local-news/12521-letters-to-the-editor. That letter as well is filled with correct information and perplexing analogies and conclusions.


I intend to give a public shiur with sources to explain my point of view. In brief there are two letters in the responsa literature that I am familiar with that address the subject of a non Jewish clergyman in an Orthodox Jewish sanctuary. They are Har Tzvi O"C 1:85 (Rav Tzvi Pesach) Frank and Shevet HaLevi 2:59 (Rav Shmuel HaLevi Vosner). Rav Frank discusses the issue of the presence of religious symbols or icons worn by non Jewish clergy that may represent 'avodah zarah' (idol worship) in Shul. Rav Vosner discusses the presence of a non Jewish clergyman in Shul during services. Assume, for argument's sake, that the halacha is stringent on these matters, neither of these concerns were relevant to us. Father Desbois was dressed in a suit and black turtleneck only, and he arrived at the end of services!  

The Editor of the 5 Towns Times refers to two incidents to defend his reporter's critique of the YIW event: "When the Pope came to a synagogue in Manhattan two years ago, Cantor Helfgott refused to lead the services because he was of the same mind. Whenever an official from the Catholic Church was brought into the beis midrash of Yeshiva University, their roshei yeshiva did not attend, and they informed their students of this position." Neither Cantor Helfgot's refusal to lead services in front of the Pope are relevant in our case (since Father Desbois was not present during services) nor is it correct that the YU Roshai Yeshiva formally boycotted the organized scheduled visit of the Cardinals to the YU Bais Midrash. THERE WAS NO BOYCOTT!!!!

 

WE BUY GOLD!!!

TELL MIRIAM AND CHAIM THAT SURI SENT YOU