► Chief Rabbi is ‘disinvited’ from London Talmud event
► CHIEF RABBI Ephraim Mirvis did not appear at a major event on Tuesday to celebrate the completion of the Day Yomi Talmud study programme, after it was indicated he was no longer welcome. The Charedi blogger Ifyoutickleus reported that a “reliable source” had said Rabbi Mirvis was “disinvited” to the event at Wembley Arena, which was organised by Stamford Hill-based Agudath Yisroel.
A spokesman for the Chief Rabbi confirmed the story to the JC, saying: “How sad that the petty politics of a small minority should distract from what should be a wonderful celebration of Torah.”
There were rumours that some Charedi rabbis would boycott the event or would walk out if the Chief Rabbi appeared.
Senior figures from the London Beth Din stayed away from the event in solidarity with the Chief Rabbi.
The Chief Rabbi was originally invited to have a seat on the dais along with other prominent rabbis but was then told there would be no room for him on it. His predecessor, Lord Sacks, attended a similar Daf Yomi event where he was seated on the platform.
In 2018, Rabbi Mirvis ruffled feathers among parts of the Orthodox right when he published a guide on the duty of care towards LGBT+ pupils in Orthodox schools.
In particular, his co-operation with the organisation that promotes LGBT+ inclusion in the Jewish community, KeshetUK, was seen as problematic — although the Charedi establishment avoided openly attacking him.
Charedi leaders have been trying to resist pressure from the Department for Education and Ofsted to talk about LGBT+ equality in schools.
Daf Yomi, which involves the study of the entire Babylonian Talmud by learning a folio every day over the course of seven and a half years, was inaugurated by the Agudath Israel movement in Europe in 1923.
This week marks the completion of the 13th seven-and-a-half-year cycle of the programme, the first completed Daf Yomi cycle since Rabbi Mirvis became chief rabbi in September 2013.