Central Rabbinical Congress

The Central Rabbinical Congress (in full: Central Rabbinical Congress of the U.S.A. and Canada, commonly abbreviated to CRC; in Hebrew: Hisachdus HaRabbonim DeArtzos HaBris VeCanada התאחדות הרבנים) is a rabbinical organization mainly identified with the Satmar Hasidic group. It also provides kosher food certification, and is well known for being strongly anti-Zionist. It is identified with the most conservative wings of Haredi Judaism in America.

The CRC has close relations with the Edah HaChareidis of Jerusalem, and can be closely compared to it, representing the same conservative wings of the Haredi world that the Edah represents in Jerusalem. In the past, both institutions were headed by the Satmar Rebbes, Rabbis Joel Teitelbaum and Moshe Teitelbaum.

The CRC serves as a religious court whose typical cases deal with marital and business disputes in the Satmar, Pupa, Vishnitz and Skver chasidic communities,.

In 1986 the CRC publicized the following declaration: "It is our duty to denounce those who invoke the name of the Almighty in vain. It is our holy obligation and our moral responsibility to call on them: Stop using these falsehoods and heresies to justify yourselves and your misdeeds. The Jewish faith, as transmitted by the Almighty to our forefathers has not and will never countenance the zionist and nationalistic doctrines of the state of Israel. These false doctrines are compounded of atheism and anti-religious zionism, ideologies alien to Judaism. Let them not be misrepresented to the world as Jewish."

External link

 * CRC Condemnations of Zionism and the State of Israel

התאחדות הרבנים