Yona Metzger (Hebrew: יונה מצגר; born 1953) is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. His counterpart is Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel since their appointments in 2003.
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Rabbi Metzger was born in Haifa in 1953. He served in the Israel Defense Forces as a chaplain, fought in several wars in the 7th Armored Brigade, and was discharged with the rank of captain. He is the youngest Chief Rabbi in Israel's history. Rabbi Metzger received his ordination from the Yeshivat Kerem BeYavne hesder yeshiva before working as a religious teacher. He served as rabbi of the Tiferet Zvi Synagogue in Tel Aviv and was later appointed regional rabbi of northern Tel Aviv.[1] Metzger has written ten books, two of which were awarded prizes by the President of Israel. He is also the former head of a publishing house.
While Metzger is from a National Religious family and educational background, he has been closely identified with Haredi Judaism, and often seeks the advice of Degel HaTorah's spiritual leader Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv. Some observers have claimed that this makes Metzger an excellent candidate to represent both communities, with one reporter calling him "undoubtedly the most moderate and most Zionist candidate."[2] His supporters have often compared him to his immediate predecessor, Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, who was seen as having a foot in every camp, which helped him in dealing with different kinds of Jews, particularly secular ones. However, others have suggested that the perception of Metzger not having a "real base" has in fact hurt his credibility. Some Religious Zionists consider Metzger to have "sold out" to the haredim,[3] and do not consider Metzger to be a member of their community. [4]
Since becoming Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Metzger has been very active in attempting to reach out to various diverse groups of people, both Jews and non-Jews. His many high-profile relationships and cooperations with leaders of other faiths and nationalities are reminiscent with the "international" reputation of his predecessor, Rabbi Lau. Rabbi Metzger has attempted to facilitate the maintaining of kashrut standards in Israel by employing technology, for instance, by activating steam pumps for cooking meat via cell phone in order to avoid issues of bishul akum, (the cooking of food by a non-Jew).[5] Metzger has also been involved in strengthening ties between Israeli and Diaspora standards of kashrut in order to make them more standardized and consistent.[6]
Rabbi Metzger has been a prominent activist in attempting to keep up public interest in the cases of several "lost Israelis", notably Jonathan Pollard and Ron Arad. He has repeatedly brought up Arad in the course of official meetings with various Muslim dignitaries.[7][8] Metzger has also been involved in keeping up the pressure on both the Israeli and various Arab governments to protect the safety and negotiate the release of various Israeli prisoners taken captive by Hezbollah,[9] culminating in the 2004 release of Israeli businessman Elchanan Tenenbaum.[10]
In 2004, Metzger announced an initiative to insert a special prayer for Jonathan Pollard into the daily prayer service. The prayer was written by Metzger and is written in the style of a "Mishberach prayer" intended for people in dire straits. Many Orthodox synagogues announced that they would adopt the new prayer into their liturgy.[11]
A major priority for Rabbi Metzger has been to encourage friendly relationships with other religious communities. One idea that Metzger has repeatedly proposed has been the establishment of a religious United Nations in Jerusalem. He first advocated this in late 2004 after mediating a highly-publicized dispute between Jerusalem haredim and the Armenian Christian community.[12] He raised the idea again in February 2006, at an ecumenical meeting between several high-profile rabbis and Muslim clerics with the 14th Dalai Lama in Israel, and again in March 2006, while attending the International Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace in Seville, Spain.
Under Metzger's plan, the new body would contain representatives of the world's religions as opposed to nations. Metzger has also suggested that the Dalai Lama could lead the assembly. At their 2006 meeting, Metzger was quoted as saying, "Instead of planning for nuclear war and buying tanks and fighter jets, it will invest in peace... Religious leaders will get the opportunity to meet one another and discover that they have more in common than they may have realized..." The Dalai Lama was reportedly very excited at the idea and pledged to help Metzger realize his plan.[13][14] Other supporters include Frederico Major, the co-president of the Alliance for Civilizations, a Spanish lobby group for international conflict resolution.[15]
On a February 2007 trip to India, Metzger joined other prominent rabbis in signing a declaration against violence with local Hindu leaders, as part of a summit organized by the World Council of Religious Leaders. One of the points emphasized by the participants was the commonality between Jews and Hindus, particularly in regards to ongoing violence at the hands of Muslims.[16] Metzger noted in his remarks that "Jews have lived in India for 2,000 years and have never been discriminated against. This is something unparalleled in human history."[17]
In March 2008, Metzger enthusiastically supported an interfaith conference proposed by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Metzger said, "I give my blessing to every initiative that can prevent bloodshed and terror, especially in our area of the world," adding that most terror in the twenty-first century was religiously motivated and therefore religious engagement and interfaith dialogue was crucial to solving the problem of terrorism.[18]
Metzger was part of a delegation of religious leaders that met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in Moscow in April 2008.
In his welcoming notes to Pope Benedict XVI at the Heichal Shlomo Great Synagogue, rabbi Metzger opened by congratulating the pontiff on his arrival to "our holy land - the land to which we prayed to return during 2000 years of exile... And, with God's help, our meeting today is taking place in the Land of Israel, in our city of Jerusalem - the eternal capital of the Jewish people." [19]
During his term Metzger has been involved in several notable incidents of rapprochement with the global and Israeli Armenian communities.
In December 2004 Metzger was instrumental in easing tensions between Jerusalem's haredim and Armenian Christians following an incident in which a Haredi yeshiva student spat on an Armenian Archbishop. Metzger gained further attention in November 2005, during a visit to the Memorial of Armenian Genocide and Genocide Museum in Yerevan. He laid a wreath and gave a short speech in which he acknowledged the pain of the Armenian people and emphasized that though Israel does not formally recognize the Armenian Genocide as a genocide, he does "use that term." Metzger went on to say that "no other nation can understand the pain of the Armenians better than Jews."[20] Metzger's comments received a very positive reaction in Armenia, particularly at the implication that more Israelis are changing their positions on using the term "Genocide" to refer to the Armenians. As Israel is a very strong ally of Turkey, many are optimistic that a change in Israeli attitudes could eventually lead to a similar phenomenon in Turkey.[21]
Turkey's Jews, on the other hand, themselves a vulnerable minority population, reacted with some discomfort at Metzger putting them in an awkward situation. The spokesman for Turkey's Chief Rabbi commented, "Let the historians do their job and then we will see."[22]
Metzger appointment was controversial as he was not considered a halachic authority and his election may have been orchestrated by Eliashiv.[23] Metzger had never served as a religious judge (dayan), though his role as Chief Rabbi would require him to sit as President of the Rabbinical Supreme Court for five years, before switching with his Sephardic counterpart to be head of the Chief Rabbinate Council.[2] Outgoing Sephardic Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron wrote a letter to the Chief Rabbinic Council citing a 1998 rabbinical investigation into Metzger's personal conduct and credentials, following accusations of sexual harassment, forged signatures on wedding contracts, fraud and threatening other rabbis.[24]The commission of rabbis found Metzger's explanations of his actions "insufficient" and ruled him "unfit to serve as a rabbi." The commission, which included Rabbi Shlomo Amar, later agreed to drop the ruling on condition that Metzger withdraw his candidacy for chief rabbi of Tel Aviv, which he did. Bakshi-Doron was incensed to learn that, five years later, Metzger had now entered into the race for Chief Rabbi of the state. He called his appointment "a desecration of God's name."[25]
In April 2005 Metzger united with Shlomo Amar, along with prominent Muslim and Christian religious leaders in condemning announcements that organizers of WorldPride, a Gay Pride festival, intended to hold their 2005 ten-day meeting in Jerusalem. At a press conference, Metzger pleaded with WorldPride's leaders: "Please do not damage the holiness of Jerusalem. Preserve its character, preserve its peace. Cancel your plans."[26]Metzger and his cohorts were criticized by many in both the LGBT and liberal Jewish movements for what they deemed religious intolerance. The festival, which was planned for August, was postponed until 2006 so as to not coincide with the Disengagement from Gaza. See 2006 Jerusalem gay pride parade.
In 2003, the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv published a report in which four young men accused Metzger of groping them. He has been accused of sexually harassing women as well. There have been multiple allegations that Metzger forged signatures of witnesses on ketubot to permit him to officiate at as many weddings as possible in a single evening. He has also been charged with demanding exorbitant fees to perform weddings.
In February 2005 the Israeli police began a formal criminal investigation of Metzger regarding allegations of fraud and bribery related to benefits Metzger received from a Jerusalem hotel.[27] Metzger was questioned twice and denied any wrongdoing, but suspended himself from the Rabbinical High Court in June 2005 while waiting to see if the Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz would decide to indict him.[28] Despite the National Fraud Squad's announcement that it had sufficient evidence for an indictment, there was little public follow-up through early 2006.
Metzger and his supporters have dismissed all of the accusations against him as part of an ongoing smear campaign against him.
On April 3, 2006 Israeli Attorney General Menachem Mazuz announced that he was closing the Metzger investigation and would not seek an indictment against him, citing a lack of sufficient evidence. He added, however, that in light of various "disturbing" information that came to light during the investigation, including contradictory statements given to the police, that the Chief Rabbi should resign. Mazuz told reporters, "Given his flawed conduct, it is only right for Rabbi Metzger to take personal responsibility and decide - on his own accord - to step from his position as rabbinical judge and Chief Rabbi... The continuation of his tenure is liable to seriously hamper the public standing of the chief rabbinate and the main rabbinical court."[29] Mazuz also called on the Justice Ministry to consider bringing Metzger's case "before the Dayanim Selection Committee... to consider ending his term in office" if Metzger did not resign.[30] On April 4, the Justice Ministry confirmed that Metzger would not be able to continue as chief rabbi if the dayanim Appointment Committee disqualifies him from serving as a judge in the High Rabbinic Court.[31]
Shortly after Mazuz's announcement, various activist groups and politicians joined him in urging Metzger's resignation, including National Union-NRP MK Yitzhak Levy, Meretz MK Avshalom Vilan, and Labor MK Ophir Pines-Paz.[32] Rabbi Yosef Blau, President of the Religious Zionists of America, told reporters, "I have no difficulty with the standard for a person being chief rabbi being higher than the standard [for a normal person]... If the description of Attorney General Mazuz is accurate, then this is totally inappropriate for a Chief Rabbi."[33]
The rabbi's supporters included some of Israel's most notable religious figures: several days after Mazuz's criticism, Metzger met with a group of high-profile rabbis, including his political patron, leading Lithuanian rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv, as well as former Chief Rabbis Ovadia Yosef, Mordechai Eliyahu, and Avraham Shapira. The rabbis praised his character and integrity, heavily criticized Mazuz's behavior, and promised that they would help the rabbi in fighting the public cries for his resignation.[34] Rabbi Shapira reportedly told Metzger that he was being "watched over" by a "special angel in heaven," and Rabbi Eliyahu commented that in his judgment, Metzger was "pure and clear as snow."[35] However, when reporters attempted to confirm the accounts and quotes given to them by Metzger's aides, at least one rabbi's spokesperson denied the comments were made.[36]
Rabbi Metzger responded to the news by saying that the ruling had been issued "without giving me the opportunity to defend myself. This was a violation of the basic rights enjoyed by every individual." Shortly after Mazuz's comments, the rabbi's spokespeople declared that he had no intention of resigning, and criticized Mazuz for convicting Metzger in the public square by tarnishing his reputation. Some in the Israeli media, while not defending Metzger, also castigated Mazuz for over-stepping his role as Attorney General, and for going after "small fries" like Metzger, as opposed to public figures involved in significantly more serious scandals in an attempt to seem tough on corruption.[37]
Rabbi Metzger filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Israel to protest Mazuz's public declaration on April 27, alleging that his image had been destroyed without a chance to tell his side of the story, and accusing Mazuz of engaging in "child-like" tactics.[38] Metzger's lawyer charged that Mazuz's report on Metzger contained unverifiable information and that it constituted a personal attack on the rabbi without giving him the benefit of a defense or hearing. The petition requested that the second half of Mazuz's 30-page report, in which he harshly attacked Metzger's conduct and recommended his removal, be stricken from the record.
In late May the new Justice Minister Chaim Ramon told reporters that he intends to follow up on Mazuz's recommendation and attempt to force Rabbi Metzger's resignation.[39] It was also reported that outgoing Chief Justice Aharon Barak had attempted to mediate between the parties, proposing a compromise in which all of Mazuz's report would stay in, but that Mazuz would sign a statement retracting his personal criticism of Metzger's character and declaring that "there is nothing which obliges the Minister of Justice to take administrative measures against Metzger", in effect leaving further action to the discretion of the incoming Justice Minister. Metzger's lawyer refused the deal, saying that the damage to Metzger's reputation from the report was too important to be left in as part of a compromise. The court has yet to reach a final decision on Metzger's petition.[40]
In May, as part of an attempt to improve his image, Rabbi Metzger wrote checks to the two hotels where he had allegedly received free services.[41]
In March 2007 the recently installed Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch recommended that Mazuz rewrite the report and remove the allegations she called "gossip and rumors."[42]
In February 2008, after an investigation prompted by Mazuz's report and a recommendation by Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann that Metzger be impeached,[43] the Justice Ministry appointments committee authorized the end of Metzger's suspension, permitting him to return to his position on the Supreme Rabbinical Court.[44] However in late March the Knesset Interior Affairs and Environment Committee ratified an amendment to the Chief Rabbinate Law that effectively prohibited Metzger from trading positions with Shlomo Amar, as is standard practice halfway through their ten-year term. The author of the amendment claimed that it was not specifically directed against Metzger, arguing that it in fact would allow for future "flexibility," permitting Chief Rabbis lacking training as rabbinical judges, as Metzger does, to "forgo" becoming President of the rabbinical courts. Some Metzger critics, however, argued that the law was only relevant to Metzger because he is the first ever Chief Rabbi to be elected to the position who has no experience as a rabbinical judge.[45]
When Mazuz asked Metzger to resign in 2005, the story initially sparked some debate over the necessity of having two Israeli Chief Rabbis at all,[46] or of maintaining the Chief Rabbinate as an institution.[47] Some suggested that one way of preserving the integrity and relevance of the office might be to convince the religious Ashkenazi communities of Israel decline to hold elections to replace Metzger, should he resign. This move would, by default, consolidate the post from two seats to one, and help eliminate one of the most public representations of the office's perceived anachronism often cited by its critics.[48][49] However since then there has been little follow-up.
On December 12, 2011 the Israeli daily Israel Hayom reported that Metzger had received an offer to serve as Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland after Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sachs ends his term of office in 2013.
Metzger gave an interview with the British Jewish News paper in January 2008 in which he advocated transferring the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula, adding that though Israel welcomed peaceful Muslims, the world's Muslims needed to recognize that Jerusalem "belongs" to the Jewish people, saying, "You have another place, Mecca and Medina, you don't need a third place." Metzger also challenged the idea that Muslims had any connection to Jerusalem at all, noting that when Muslims pray to Mecca, their backs face Jerusalem.[3] Metzger received some criticism from moderate Israelis for these remarks as well as by some in the Arab world.[50][51]
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| Preceded by Yisrael Meir Lau |
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger 2003–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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