Chanoch Ehrentreu
Encyclopedia
Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu (born 1932 in Frankfurt-am-Main) served for many years as the head of the United Synagogue
's Beth Din
. He retired from the post in December 2006.
congregation. His paternal grandfather was the Munich Rov, the Gaon HaRav Chanoch Ehrentreu after whom he was named. His father was arrested on the morning after the Kristallnacht
pogroms in November 1938 while trying to save Torah scrolls from the burning synagogue. He was eventually released and took this opportunity to escape, with the help of family and friends to England
.
which has been situated in Gateshead
since 2000.
Father [i.e. Head] of the Beth Din), and Communal Rabbi of Manchester
.
by Lord Jackobovits. He was known as the Rosh Beth Din (rather than the traditional "Av" Beth Din) as the title of Av Beth Din is formally held by the Chief Rabbi. By dint of his workload as well as convention of his office, the Chief Rabbi is not involved in Beth Din work. Serving together with Ehrentreu during his tenure were Dayan Kaplan, Dayan Menachem Gelley, Dayan Abraham, Dayan Binstock, and Dayan Yitzhak Berger (Consultant). The Chief Rabbi commented when Ehrentreu announced his retirement, "The Dayan possesses a rare combination of authority, wisdom, compassion and understanding of our community."
Dayan Ehrentreu is a chairman of "Eternal Jewish Family", an organisation founded by Rabbi Leib Tropper
to reinforce stringent standards for conversion.
Although established with the help of Rabbi Alan Kimche, Rabbi Jeremy Conway and others, its halachic validity was strongly contested by many other prominent London Rabbis. The controversy was re-ignited in 2008, when supporters of the eruv distributed brochures to local Jewish homes, which aimed to demonstrate the eruv's halachic validity. The rabbinic opponents of the eruv were unconvinced, and reiterated their position that usage of the eruv amounts to a desecration of the sabbath.
Notwithstanding the controversy over the North West London eruv, its establishment set a precedent, with eruvs having now been established in Edgware, Elstree/Borehamwood and Stanmore under the supervision of the London Beth Din and, at least in the case of Edgware, with Dayan Ehrentreu's guidance.
Following Dayan Ehrentreu's lead, Eruvs have been planned for other Jewish communities throughout England, notably in Manchester, where the plans are supported by the leading Charedi authority, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneebalg of the Machzikei Hadass community. However, an attempt to construct an eruv in the Charedi community of Stamford Hill in 2008 was scuppered due to the fierce opposition of Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, the principle rabbinic authority for London's charedi community.
United Synagogue
United Synagogue is an organisation of London Jews that was founded with the sanction of an Act of Parliament, in 1870. , it remains the largest religious grouping within the British Jewish community and indeed in Europe, covering 62 Orthodox Jewish communities...
's Beth Din
Beth din
A beth din, bet din, beit din or beis din is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel...
. He retired from the post in December 2006.
Early life
Dayan Ehrentreu was born in Frankfurt in 1932 to Rabbi Jonah and Rebbitzen J. Ehrentreu. His mother was the daughter of Abraham Heckscher, the venerated parnes of the HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
congregation. His paternal grandfather was the Munich Rov, the Gaon HaRav Chanoch Ehrentreu after whom he was named. His father was arrested on the morning after the Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
pogroms in November 1938 while trying to save Torah scrolls from the burning synagogue. He was eventually released and took this opportunity to escape, with the help of family and friends to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Gateshead
Ehrentreu was the Rosh Kollel (principal) of the Sunderland KollelKollel
A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
which has been situated in Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
since 2000.
Manchester
Ehrentreu was Av Beth Din (Hebrew:Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
Father [i.e. Head] of the Beth Din), and Communal Rabbi of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
London
Dayan Ehrentreu was appointed to the post of Rosh Beth Din in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
by Lord Jackobovits. He was known as the Rosh Beth Din (rather than the traditional "Av" Beth Din) as the title of Av Beth Din is formally held by the Chief Rabbi. By dint of his workload as well as convention of his office, the Chief Rabbi is not involved in Beth Din work. Serving together with Ehrentreu during his tenure were Dayan Kaplan, Dayan Menachem Gelley, Dayan Abraham, Dayan Binstock, and Dayan Yitzhak Berger (Consultant). The Chief Rabbi commented when Ehrentreu announced his retirement, "The Dayan possesses a rare combination of authority, wisdom, compassion and understanding of our community."
Dayan Ehrentreu is a chairman of "Eternal Jewish Family", an organisation founded by Rabbi Leib Tropper
Leib Tropper
Rabbi Leib Tropper is a founder of the Kol Yaakov Yeshiva and Torah Center in Monsey, New York. He is a grandson of the late Rabbi Leib Forer, the "Valbolneker Iluy".-Education:...
to reinforce stringent standards for conversion.
The Eruv controversy
In March 2003, after many years, Ehrentreu successfully negotiated the construction of an eruv in London. The eruv itself is an 11-mile enclosure in northwest London encompassing some of the city's Jewish neighborhoods, including Golders Green and Hendon, plus much of Hampstead Garden Suburb and some of Finchley.Although established with the help of Rabbi Alan Kimche, Rabbi Jeremy Conway and others, its halachic validity was strongly contested by many other prominent London Rabbis. The controversy was re-ignited in 2008, when supporters of the eruv distributed brochures to local Jewish homes, which aimed to demonstrate the eruv's halachic validity. The rabbinic opponents of the eruv were unconvinced, and reiterated their position that usage of the eruv amounts to a desecration of the sabbath.
Notwithstanding the controversy over the North West London eruv, its establishment set a precedent, with eruvs having now been established in Edgware, Elstree/Borehamwood and Stanmore under the supervision of the London Beth Din and, at least in the case of Edgware, with Dayan Ehrentreu's guidance.
Following Dayan Ehrentreu's lead, Eruvs have been planned for other Jewish communities throughout England, notably in Manchester, where the plans are supported by the leading Charedi authority, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneebalg of the Machzikei Hadass community. However, an attempt to construct an eruv in the Charedi community of Stamford Hill in 2008 was scuppered due to the fierce opposition of Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, the principle rabbinic authority for London's charedi community.