Pinchas Goldschmidt

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My First Yom Kippur in Exile

Europa,

This is my first Yom Kippur in exile.

The crisp Moscow autumn air; the illuminated synagogue which I called home for 30 years; my white hat and kittel, the robe Jews wear on the High Holy Days, folded up, in my apartment that now sits locked — it all seems like a dream.

As the chief rabbi of Moscow, I used to prepare for this holiday for weeks. Some of the work was technical — securing cantors and shofar blowers for synagogues across Russia, or guiding the sick on whether or not they should fast on the holy day. Some of the preparation was more lofty: I would prepare my sermon thoughts while walking daily for early morning penitential prayers, past the bustling cafes on Pokrovka Street, down the hill on Arkhipova Street, up the stairs to the pale yellow synagogue, with its dome.…  Seguir leyendo »

EuropaUnión EuropeaUE a debate

The American comedian and social commentator George Carlin once said that “Religion is like a pair of shoes.....Find one that fits for you, but don't make me wear your yours.”

This is the popular philosophy among western democracies – the idea that expressions of personal faith cannot and must not ever unreasonably impact upon another person who is not of that religious persuasion.

It’s a philosophy which has worked reasonably well until recently – and now, with the European Court of Human Rights ruling that a ban on the burka should be upheld, it is all unravelling before our eyes.

It is unravelling because whereas the burden of proof used to lie with those who were seeking to deny religious freedoms, (sometimes with good intentions) it is now for faith communities to make the case for their rights to be upheld.…  Seguir leyendo »

EuropaUnión EuropeaUE a debate

Estamos siendo testigos de unas tendencias históricas diametralmente opuestas en Europa. Algunos individuos, organizaciones y Estados intentan asumir su pasado y llevan a cabo un proceso histórico de examen de conciencia, mientras otros tratan de reescribir la historia y confían en que los focos no alumbren demasiado su pasado turbio.

En 1989 llegué a la Unión Soviética para ejercer de rabino en la Sinagoga Coral de Moscú. Entre todas las tablillas conmemorativas, no había ninguna huella ni mención de uno de mis predecesores, Yehudah Lev Medallie, que fue detenido y asesinado por la policía de seguridad del Estado de Josef Stalin en 1938, después de una década de intentar mantener la vida religiosa en la capital soviética.…  Seguir leyendo »