Conference of the International Rabbinic Fellowship
The International Rabbinic Fellowship was begun in October 2007 through the efforts of our Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. Rabbis Marc Angel and Avi Weiss organized the group, and sponsored the first two years of its work.
The IRF held a conference on November 17-18 at the Pearlstone Retreat Center outside Baltimore. About 60 rabbis attended from throughout the United States, as well as from Canada and Bogota, Colombia. This was a historic conference for several reasons.
First, Rabbis Angel and Weiss have handed over the IRF's leadership to a young, dynamic group of rabbis. While remaining as Honorary Chairmen, they felt the time was right for the IRF to elect new officers and to move forward as an independent organization. Rabbi Barry Gelman of Houston Texas was elected President of the IRF. The other officers are Rabbis Joel Tessler, Nissan Antine, Hyim Shafner, Yosef Kanefsky and Saul Strosberg. Rabbi Jason Herman serves as Executive Director of the IRF.
At the conference, the IRF voted to establish a distinguished board of Rashei Yeshiva and synagogue rabbis who will develop guidelines for a compassionate, inclusive and halakhically compelling approach to receiving converts to Judaism. The IRF strongly believes that conversions should be left in the hands of local rabbis, and not be controlled by a rabbinic hierarchy in Israel or the diaspora. The status quo is unacceptable, and the IRF intends to struggle energetically for positive change.
A major discussion at the conference centered on the eligibility of properly trained women to become full members of the IRF. While these women do not have formal rabbinic ordination, they have attained a high level of rabbinic learning. The overwhelming sentiment was to accept women members into the IRF even though they are not ordained rabbis; and a committee was tasked with the responsibility of drawing up meaningful and responsible guidelines. A decision is expected to be taken at the IRF's national conference in May or June.
The discussion was ground-breaking for an Orthodox rabbinic group, and the quality of discussion was remarkable for its openness, civility, respectfulness, and sincerity. This discussion characterizes the IRF: a safe space for rabbis to speak openly and candidly about issues of concern to the Jewish community.
The Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals has played a key role in forming and launching the IRF as a premier association of Modern Orthodox rabbis. The IRF seeks to strengthen the role of local rabbis; to resist authoritarian and hierarchical tendencies within Orthodox rabbinic leadership; to promote a positive agenda to strengthen Orthodoxy and the entire Jewish community in a spririt of friendship, respect and mutual understanding.