Rabbi David Baruch Lau דוד ברוך לאו | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Title | AshkenaziChief Rabbi of Israel |
| Personal life | |
| Born | David Baruch Lau (1966-01-13)13 January 1966 (age 59) Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Parent | Yisrael (Israel) Meir Lau |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Denomination | Orthodox |
| Jewish leader | |
| Predecessor | Yona Metzger |
| Successor | Kalman Ber |
| Began | 2013 |
| Ended | June 30, 2024 |
| Other | Chief Rabbi ofShoham Chief Rabbi ofModi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut |
| Residence | Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut |
David Baruch Lau (Hebrew:דוד לאו; born 13 January 1966) is an Israeli rabbi who served as theAshkenaziChief Rabbi of Israel from 2013[1] to 2024. He previously served as the Chief Rabbi ofModi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, Israel, and as the Chief Rabbi ofShoham. Lau is the son of former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of IsraelYisrael Meir Lau.
David Baruch Lau was born inTel Aviv. He is the son ofRabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, who served as the Chief Rabbi of Israel.[2] and of Chaya Ita, the daughter of Rabbi Yitzchak Yedidya Frankel, therabbi ofTel Aviv.
He was a member of the Ezra youth movement in Tel Aviv.
His service in theIDF, which he completed with the rank ofRav séren, was in theMilitary Rabbinate.[2]
He studied atYeshivat HaYishuv HeHadash [he], and later atBeit Matityau Yeshiva andPonevezh Yeshiva.[2]
He served as the Chief Rabbi ofModi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, Israel, and as the Chief Rabbi ofShoham.
On 24 July 2013, he was elected as theAshkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. He became the youngest rabbi ever to be elected to this position, being 47 years old at the time of his election.[2]
Lau is married to Tziporah Ralbag.[3]
Lau was the first rabbi of the town ofShoham. When the city ofModi'in was established, he was chosen as itsAshkenazi Chief Rabbi, alongside theSephardi Chief RabbiEliyahu Alharar [he]. Along with Alharar, he establishedTorah classes in the city, including on the subjects ofkashrut,eruvim, andJewish weddings. Lau is a reservemajor in theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF), where he served in thechaplaincy of theIntelligence Corps.[2]
Lau was one of the first rabbis in Israel to teachresponsa over the internet. He has hosted programs over various media platforms on subjects such as theweekly Torah portion andhalakhic questions and answers.[2]
On 24 July 2013, Lauwas elected as AshkenaziChief Rabbi of Israel. 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 thePresident of Israel.[4]In 2020, during thecoronavirus pandemic, Lau declared that no one should touch or kissmezuzot, in order to prevent further spread of the virus.[5]
In 2024, he stepped down as Chief Rabbi despite no successor having been appointed.[6] On October 31, 2024, RabbiKalman Ber was appointed to suceed Rabbi Lau as Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel.[7]
Lau has published articles in journals such asTehumin, and edited a book of his father's responsa titledYichil Yisrael. He also edited and published a book in memory of his grandfather, Yitzchak Yedidya Frankel. In 2008, he published his bookMaskil LeDavid on issues of genealogy, conversion, military law, and other matters.[2]
Lau took asemikhah (rabbinic ordination) test in 1993.Dov Lior, the administering rabbi, asserted that Lau brought papers with answers to previous tests into the examination room. Lau denied the allegations, but he was disqualified.[8][9] He was re-tested in 1994, and passed the exam.[10]
In his first week in office as Chief Rabbi of Israel, Lau referred to African-Americans who play basketball on Israeli teams askushim. Although in a Biblical context, it refers to the ancientKingdom of Kush, it is currently considered a derogatory term forBlack people.[11] His comments were widely condemned as racist, and MKAmram Mitzna and Ethiopian-born MKPnina Tamanu-Shata called upon him to apologize.Naftali Bennett, however, defended Lau.[12]
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 involvinghekdeshot (Haredi non-profit property trusts).[13] Lau and the Ralbag family denied any wrongdoing.[14] Later that year, during the immediate aftermath ofa shooting at a Conservative synagogue, Lau gave an interview to aHaredi 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.[15]
In August 2019, Lau instructed thechevra kadisha to delay the burial inJerusalem of the mother of an American Haredi man, Yisrael Meir Kin, until he agreed to give his wife aget (religious writ of divorce).[16] 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.[17] He said that the divorce papers had been filed ten years earlier at a religious court inMonsey, New York, and Lau, who was related to his wife, had taken sides in the case.[18] A relative of Lau denied that he was related,[19] butHaaretz determined that they are in fact related, though distantly.[17] 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,[17] and that they were sorry that Kin, who had denied his wife aget "for more than 15 years", was "continuing his refusal despite the agreements reached ... [Lau] will continue his unwavering war on the phenomenon ofget-refusal, and "will do everything he can, including [imposing] the most severe sanctions, to end any case ofget-refusal that may develop".[19] Officials in theMinistry of Religious Services said the chief rabbi has no jurisdiction over burial matters.[20]
In December 2021, Lau was criticised for attending theshiva of prominent Haredi authorChaim Walder, who had committed suicide amidst allegations of being involved in sexual abuse against minors and married women.Natan Slifkin wrote in a blogpost:
By honoring the family with a visit while not making any statement about Walder, this lends support to the 'persecutedtzaddik (righteous one)' narrative. In addition, by not making any statement of support for the victims, it is a further slap in the face to them.
Lau subsequently issued a statement encouraging sexual assault victims to come forward and report the abuse to the proper authorities.[21]
On 17 December 2023, in the midst ofIsrael's response to aHamas-led surprise attack which left 1200 Israelis dead, it was reported thattwo women were killed by an IDF sniper in the courtyard of aCatholic church in Gaza.Pope Francis, responding to this incident which occurred in the context of tens of thousands of other Palestinian deaths at the hands of the IDF, said "Some are saying, 'This is terrorism and war'. Yes, it is war. It is terrorism."[22] Noting that Francis had previously pointed out to Israeli PresidentIsaac Herzog during a meeting in November that it is "forbidden to respond to terror with terror", Lau wrote a letter to Francis protesting his use of the word "terror" to describe Israel's actions in Gaza, saying that it was a mischaracterisation.[23]
Media related toDavid Lau at Wikimedia Commons
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| Preceded by | Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel 2013–2024 | Succeeded by |
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