Chaim Rapoport

Rabbi Rapoport speaking

Rabbi Chaim Rapoport (b. Manchester, England, 1963)^[1] is an author, lecturer and Judaic scholar. He is a member of the UK’s Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks’ cabinet where he holds the Jewish medical ethics portfolio.^[1] He has written several scholarly books and articles.

Early life and education

Rapoport's father served as the Rabbi of one of Manchester's largest synagogues, Higher Crumpsall Synagogue, for 40 years. After his schooling, Rapoport attended the Yeshivot of Manchester, Gateshead, Torat Emet in Jerusalem and the central Lubavitch Yeshivah in New York. After receiving his Rabbinic diploma (semichah) and his marriage to Rachel Clara in 1984 he continued his studies in the United States.

In 1987 Rapoport and his wife joined the community Kollel in Melbourne, Australia, where, in addition to his post graduate studies, he officiated and lectured in several communities, including the far flung Launceston in Tasmania.

Career

In 1989, Rapoport took up position as head of the Lubavitch Kollel in Leeds UK, a position which he occupied until the end of 1994. In the years 1994 - 1997 Rapoport served as Minister in Birmingham and the Head of the Birmingham Rabbinic Board.

In September 1997 Rapoport was appointed as Rabbi to the Ilford Synagogue, Beehive Lane. He was later sacked from this position in February 2005, along with the synagogue’s Chazan Avrom Levin, which led to a storm of controversy about the United Synagogue withdrawing funding from its smaller Jewish communities. Rapoport rarely speaks publicly about the issue, although it caused a great deal of resentment within Ilford's Jewish community who accused the United synagogue of, “insulting and degrading” Rapoport, whilst “leaving Ilford’s community to die."^{[citation needed]}

In 1998 Rapoport was appointed as member of the Chief Rabbi's Cabinet and Advisor to the Chief Rabbi on matters of Jewish Medical Ethics. In 2005 Rapoport established Machon Mayim Chaim, to explore "unique approaches" to Jewish learning. For a time he used to lecture to the United Synagogue Rabbinate at the London School of Jewish Studies.

Defence of Chabad and controversial views

As a follower of Chabad Lubavitch, Rapoport often takes public positions to defend that movement.

The most notable instance of Rapoport's defense of Chabad was when he wrote the book, The Messiah Problem: Berger, the Angel and the Scandal of Reckless Indiscrimination (Ilford 2002) where he writes to support Chabad's Messianism and their belief that Menachem Mendel Schneerson has divine qualities. The book is written as a rebuttal to Dr. David Berger's critique of Chabad Lubavitch, The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference.

In another attempt to defend the modern-day Chabad movement and its late leader Menachem Mendel Schneerson Rapoport wrote an extensive and very critical review of Menachem Friedman's and Samuel Heilman's "The Rebbe: The Life and Afterlife of Menachem Mendel Schneerson," (Princeton University Press, 2010).^[2]

Rapoport's book, Judaism and Homosexuality: An Authentic Orthodox View (Vallentine Mitchell, 2004), stakes out a position on Homosexuality and Judaism designed "to mitigate the painful consequences of Orthodoxy's uncompromising rejection of homosexuality.".^[3] The volume explores the intersection between halakhah and homosexuality.^[4]

He is cautious about human cloning:

However, there was an "equally challenging responsibility" to avoid the temptation to follow paths that could "wreak havoc for mankind," continued Rapoport, a member of the UK chief rabbi's cabinet, and responsible for medical ethics.

He warned of the risks of ending up with a disproportionate number of clones of a particular gender, or an imbalance in the distribution of attributes and talents. Cloned humans also could suffer physical, psychological and sociological damage, he added.

Finally, Rapoport said, Jewish law had never been comfortable with fertility techniques involving "different men and women who do not themselves represent organic family nuclei."^[5]

He gave a positive character reference for building businessman Menachem Mendel Levy during Levy's trial for sex offences that culminated in the latter's 2013 conviction and jailing on two counts of indecently assaulting a girl. The victim had turned to Rapoport for support when she originally decided to reveal the abuse. Regarding his comments to the court, she said: “I was mortified. I was embarrassed to be Jewish. It was the last straw for me.”^[6]

Works

• Judaism and Homosexuality: An Authentic Orthodox View" (Vallentine Mitchell, 2004)
• The Messiah Problem: Berger, the Angel and the Scandal of Reckless Indiscrimination (Ilford 2002)
• The Afterlife of Scholarship: A Critical Review of 'The Rebbe' by Samuel Heilman and Menachem Friedman (Oporto Press, 2011) ISBN 978-0-615-53897-6

References

External links

• Interview on his views
• Article on heter mechirah
• Critique of the attack on Yeshivat Chovivei Torah
• Review of his book on Homosexuality and Judaism
• BBC audio on the permissibility of organ transplants
• http://www.somethingjewish.co.uk/articles/1246_rabbis_fear_for_futu.htm