Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah

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The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (also abbreviated as Moetzes or The Moetzes) מועצת גדולי התורה ("Council of [great] Torah Sages") is the name for the councils that are the supreme rabbinical policy-making bodies of the two Ashkenazi Haredi political groups in Israel, Degel HaTorah and Agudat Israel, and for the social and political group in the United States that serves as the highest ranking rabbinic policy board of the Agudath Israel organization. In Israel, the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah speaks for most Haredi Sephardi Jews.

Those rabbis who are on the Moetzet are usually the most important rosh yeshivas ("heads") of yeshivas as well as Hasidic Rebbes who are also regarded as the Gedolim ("great/est") sages of Torah Judaism.

[edit] In Europe

Prior to World War Two, there was only one such body, serving the World Agudath Israel organization in Europe.

[edit] In Israel

Prior to Degel HaTorah's break from Agudat Israel (because of the dominance of the Hasidic groups), there was only one Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah in Israel; with the breakaway (led by Rabbi Elazar Shach), two separate, yet at times complementary, Moetzes's were created.

The Haredi Sephardi Jews of Israel had also at one time followed the leadership of Agudat Israel when it was still a body that spoke for most of Israel's Haredim. However, with Rabbi Shach's assistance, the Haredi Sefardim broke with their Ashkenazi counterparts and established the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah ("Council of [wise] Torah Sages") that in turn became the source for the formulation and expression of the policies and agenda of the Shas political party in the Israeli Knesset. Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef would become the main leadership figure of this council.

[edit] Past members

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Rabbi Isser Zalman Meltzer (Chairman)

Rabbi Zalman Sorotzkin (Chairman)

Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter (Chairman)

Rabbi Yisrael Alter (Chairman)

Rabbi Simcha Bunim Alter (Chairman)

Rabbi Pinchas Menachem Alter (Chairman)

Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach

Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach

Rabbi Boruch Shimon Schneerson

Rabbi Yisroel Don Taub

Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua Heshl Twerski

Rabbi Binyamin Zilber

[edit] Current members belonging to Agudath Israel

Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, the Rebbe of Ger (Hasidic dynasty) (Chairman)

Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach (II), the Rebbe of Belz (Hasidic dynasty)

Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Hager, the Rebbe of Vizhnitz (Hasidic dynasty)

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Horowitz, the Rebbe of Boston (Hasidic dynasty)

Rabbi Avrohom Yaakov Friedman, the Rebbe of Sadigura (Hasidic dynasty)

Rabbi Chaim Shaul Taub, the Rebbe of Modzitz (Hasidic dynasty)

Rabbi Yochanan Sofer, the Rebbe of Erlau

[edit] Current members belonging to Degel HaTorah

Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv (Co-Chairman)

Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva (Co-Chairman)

Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva

Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, the Rosh Yeshiva of the yeshiva Torah Ore

Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Maalos HaTorah yeshiva

Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel (Mir), the Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir yeshiva (Jerusalem)

Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Ponevezh Yeshiva

Rabbi Meir Tzvi Bergman, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva Rashbi

[edit] In the United States

In the United States, Agudah's policies and leadership are directed by the council, which is comprised primarily of rosh yeshivas and Hasidic rebbes. Formerly known as the Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, the body was started in 1941. It sets all major policies and guides the organization according to its precepts of Da'as Torah.