London Beth Din appoints new dayan

The London Beth Din has appointed a new dayan.

Rabbi Eliezer Zobin will support and expand the capacity of the Beth Din, the main Jewish religious body in the UK, on United Synagogue (US) rabbinic and communal matters, including community development and education initiatives.

Dayan Zobin studied in a number of top yeshivot, has a Master’s in Jewish education and a teaching qualification. He takes up the new role after Pesach and will work for the Beth Din part-time, under the leadership of the Rosh Beth Din, Dayan Menachem Gelley, and in close collaboration with the Chief Rabbi.

Zobin impressed the recruitment committee with his expertise in Pesak Halacha (pronouncing religious decisions on nuanced halachic questions) and his substantial experience in the rabbinate. Principal at Immanuel College and senior Rabbi of Ner Yisrael in Hendon, Dayan Zobin lives with his family in Golders Green.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome the appointment of Dayan Eliezer Zobin, a man of great conviction and deep intellect. Throughout his career as an outstanding communal and educational leader, he has demonstrated a rare combination of wisdom, sensitivity and creativity which will stand him in excellent stead for this role. I have no doubt that he will not only be an enormous blessing for the London Beth Din but for our entire community, for many years to come.”

Dayan Menachem Gelley, Rosh Beth Din of the London Beth Din, said: “We are delighted that Rabbi Eliezer Zobin is to join our Beth Din and augment our existing team of Dayanim. He comes as a successful congregational Rabbi, a Talmid Chochom of repute, with a broad remit in Halacha (Jewish Law) . Rabbi Zobin, is personable, humble and compassionate and will undoubtedly be a great asset to the Beth Din.”

Michael Goldstein, President of the United Synagogue, said: “Dayan Zobin has already proven himself to be a popular rabbi in the Ner Yisrael community and at Immanuel College and we are delighted to be able to appoint someone with both substantial halachic knowledge and a real awareness of our members. The panel were keen to appoint someone with a strong degree of empathy to deal with delicate and sometimes difficult personal situations and Dayan Zobin’s current roles makes him an excellent fit for this position given he has demonstrated how to build his shul and school communities around a strong Orthodox ethos, presenting a caring, compassionate and spiritual Judaism accessible to all.”