Senior rabbis sign letter urging ‘return to Jewish unity’ before Shavuot

Senior rabbis from five continents have called in an open letter for “a return to Jewish unity” ahead of the Jewish festival of Shavuot.

The signatories, including some of the most respected religious figures in countries such as France, South Africa and Argentina, urged Jews around the world to rebuild strained or broken relations.

Referring to the unity shown when the Jewish people stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, they said that in preparation for this year’s Shavuot “let us do everything we can to return to this sublime moment of complete Jewish unity”.

They said: “We humbly call on you to seize this unique moment in history to strengthen Jewish unity and togetherness in every way possible. We encourage very practical steps towards realising this ideal.

“If you are in a situation of conflict, tension, resentment or anger with another, reach out to them to peacefully resolve the matter. If you know of anyone in similar strife, encourage them to do the same. This call to action is built on the idea that unity is not a noun, it is a verb. It is not something we talk about, it is something we do.”

The signatories include Israel’s two chief rabbis, as well as the chief rabbis of Russia, France, South Africa and Argentina, plus Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt of the Conference of European Rabbis.

The signatories were: 

• Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau, 
• Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yizchak Yosef,
• Chief Rabbi of France, Rabbi Haïm Korsia,
• Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berel Lazar,
• Chief Rabbi of Moscow and President of the Conference of European Rabbis, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt,
• Chief Rabbi of Argentina, Rabbi Gabriel Davidovich,
• Chief Rabbi of South Africa, Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein,