The 50th anniversary convention of the Ariel Institute of Torah, Judaism and Society Enterprises in Israel opened Thursday evening. About 200 rabbis are participating in the assembly, whose theme is "Everyone is going up to Jerusalem."
Rabbi David Shapiro of the capital's Beit Hakerem neighborhood, who edited the program for the conference, said all of Israel's rabbis should protest the criminal investigations being launched against rabbis over their interpretation of Jewish law. Chief Rabbi Sha'ar Yashuv Cohen of Haifa, who was questioned in connection with a probe of police, said the rabbis mustn't be afraid.