Rabbi Ariel Constantine, rabbi of the Beit El synagogue in Tel Aviv, who was at the heart of the "Synagogue and the Models" affair, admits: "I was naive and I was wrong.".
The rabbi wrote these words on his Facebook page, in response to a column published by Rabbi Yuval Sherlow on the subject - and adds: "I was indeed naive and wrong. It hurts and I regret the situation I found myself in. Thank you to Rabbi Sherlow and everyone who supports me in these difficult moments.".
The Beit El Synagogue affair, also known as the International Synagogue operating under the auspices of the Tzohar rabbinical organization, was first revealed on the Haredim10 website, and caused shock among broad audiences in the Israeli public, as well as angry responses from rabbis and politicians. Rabbi Constantine told Haredim10 that he had never agreed to a fashion show, and certainly not inside the synagogue itself. "I was lied to and deceived until the last moment.".
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Rabbi Sherlow, who addressed the affair, wrote, among other things:
""A few words about the incident of Rabbi Constantine the Sixth, which I wrote down as a personal reflection for myself.".
A. Rabbi Constantine is a dear Jew, who took on an enormous task – to act on the seam line between the "camp march" and the request to expand the definitions (Haredi, religious, traditional, etc.), and to create a place where the synagogue is indeed a gathering place for everyone, everyone has a place there, and it is conducted according to Halacha.
B. Anyone who does anything at all, and even less so someone who acts on a seam line, makes mistakes. Even mistakes that are forbidden to be made. I have to decide whether because of this I will not do anything, or I will not act on a seam line, or I will act on the seam line knowing that there will be mistakes, and mistakes that are forbidden to be made, and I will even pay a heavy price for it. In any case, I will respect whoever decides one, and Rabbi Konstantin decided in a certain way.
C. Consenting to a fashion show in a synagogue is a serious mistake. It is crossing the line, and it is not appropriate to do it – in any situation, under any conditions, and in any visible context. There are many reasons for this – from sacrilege, to adopting a certain culture, to the social and moral implications of such shows. There was somewhere a combination of innocence and error, which were exploited by the organizers of the show.
More than once, I myself have been in situations where something was going on that was completely contrary to what should be, and even constituted a serious offense – and I debated whether to break out and shut everything down, or to hold back. The dilemma is very difficult, and the considerations are very difficult for the various parties.
It takes courage, intelligence, divine help, and a correct reading of reality. How many times have I regretted that I did break out; more times have I regretted that I did not break out.
We need to pray and be strengthened, gain courage and analyze each case in retrospect and examine whether it was right to do this or that. Learn from others.
"It seems to me that Rabbi Constantine was in exactly this situation and decided that the right thing to do was not to explode. I have no idea, and no one has any idea, what would have happened if he had exploded.".
