Fire Department's Chief Rabbi in Fiery Farewell Interview: "The Higher the Rank, the Lower the Connection to Tradition"

Rabbi Menachem Perl, Chief Rabbi of the Fire and Rescue Services, submitted his resignation letter to Fire and Rescue Commissioner Rabbi Tafsar Dedi Simchi this week. After nearly four years in the position, he felt he had reached a breaking point. "Public officials need to make the commissioner understand that this is an entity that belongs to a state with a Jewish character, not a private entity, especially since the overwhelming majority of firefighters are traditional and need to be accommodated," he explains in an interview with 'Shevi'i'.

Rabbi Perl (52), a Major in the reserves, claims that there are significant religious issues within the commission that none of his professional demands or recommendations on have been positively received by Simchi. He came to the role with the aim of building it from scratch: until his appointment in August 2013, no one had held this position since the organization's founding. "Because this is a new role, everyone saw it differently, which was precisely the problem," explains the rabbi. "There are commanders who came from the army or police, each with a different system of expectations. I also had my say on how I see the role, which did not always align with the superiors' expectations."

What were the main issues from the field?

"The first thing I did when I received the role was to traverse the country from north to south to meet the firefighters and understand their needs. There are almost 120 fire stations, under which large stations with between 100 to 150 people also have several smaller stations with about 12 people each.

"When I started dealing with kosher issues, I discovered that firefighters cook for themselves, unlike in the IDF, and thus, there's no way to supervise, creating kosher problems that are not easy to solve. In fire incidents that last more than four hours, the station provides food for the firefighters, and at least there, I managed to raise awareness about kosher supervision over food suppliers."

What about Shabbat?

"On Shabbat, the situation is even more complicated. In the U.S., there's a separation between the firefighting and rescue systems, but in Israel, there's one system, so the law requires them to deal with saving lives and property. According to Jewish law, one does not violate Shabbat for property, but in practice, when a fire breaks out, there is almost nothing that does not pose a risk to life, so they respond to every fire. Fire services handle rescuing people swept away by floods, retrieving injured from collapsed buildings, and more. Annually, there are about 90,000 emergency calls involving one or more fire trucks, including around 50,000 fires and 40,000 rescue events."

Are there many religious individuals in the fire department?

"Individuals from the religious community do not join the fire department because there are significant challenges regarding Shabbat observance. Some in the system fear that a religious person would refuse to respond to incidents due to concerns about violating Shabbat. In Judea and Samaria, there are religious firefighters, but elsewhere almost none. However, there are hundreds of traditionalists, and some became Ba'alei Teshuva during their service. Many of them stopped being firefighters on a 24-hour shift and became administrative workers because their religious needs were not accommodated."

Is the fear so great that it blocks religious individuals from the commission?

"In general, the higher the rank, the lower the connection to tradition. But there is one district commander who respects tradition and religion. A year and a half ago, there was a massive firefighter recruitment due to 130 open positions. About 8,000 people registered, and everyone went through interviews. One interviewer said he fears religious individuals, thinking they might cause issues and not follow orders on Shabbat. So when a religious person comes to interview, he asks if they would respond to an event on Shabbat if a trash can was burning. If the answer is no, the interviewer does not accept them. And if the answer is 'I would respond because it's a life-threatening situation,' they still don't accept them, claiming they're just saying that to get in."

Shabbat, Taxi, Beard

Rabbi Perl (52) served in Battalion 51 of Golani, served as the rabbi of Ma'ale Hever for six years, and founded the religious nucleus in his hometown of Ashkelon. When Rabbi Yisrael Weiss was appointed Chief Rabbi of the IDF, he took responsibility for military halacha and established the Beit Midrash for halachic studies. In the Fire and Rescue Services, he was less successful in his attempt to bring changes.

"In the last conversation with the commissioner, I raised three significant issues I tried to change, but they weren't even willing to hear about them. The first was testing the fire trucks' conditions on Shabbat. I proposed avoiding these tests as much as possible and reached agreements with the head of the operations department, but some district commanders objected, claiming there were faults. The previous commissioner Shachar Ayalon deferred the discussion, and the current commissioner is unwilling to discuss it.

"The second issue: transportation on Shabbat to and from shifts. In the Judea and Samaria district, there's no problem because they work a double shift from Friday to Sunday, but nationwide, shifts change on Shabbat morning. Using taxis with non-Jewish drivers is possible, something dozens of religious firefighters did, paying from their pockets. I wanted to ensure partial subsidies; unfortunately, they weren't even willing to discuss it. We're talking about a meager annual budget of 200,000 shekels. The commission's budget is 1.25 billion shekels, part of which goes to trips and hotels.

"The third issue is growing a beard. Most of the senior staff claims that a beard affects the mask's seal and could allow smoke to penetrate during a fire, so having even a millimeter of facial hair is prohibited. This claim is based on the American standard but ignores three other directives within that standard - that the mask should be personal, tested annually, and that fitness should be maintained for regular breathing. In my opinion, there's an issue with growing a beard, not a safety issue. During the counting of the Omer and the Three Weeks, there are constant tensions every year between religious staff and their commanders."

Did you consult with your counterparts in other security bodies?

"Of course, as soon as I took the position, I met with the Chief Rabbi of the IDF, the Prisons Service Rabbi, and the Deputy Police Rabbi (as there was no police rabbi at that time; A.E.). I wanted to learn from each how they set religious guidelines, examined their relationship with the organization's leader, and how regulations and guidelines were implemented regarding religious matters."

And did you find significant differences between the various rabbinical bodies?

"Without a doubt. In the army, the main role of a rabbi during routine is enforcing religious practices regarding kashrut, Shabbat, Torah study, and, of course, preparing for war. In the police, it was mainly the rabbi's role within the police community - organizing funerals, bar mitzvahs, and more, with almost no clear commands or written guidelines but built on trust and good relationships with the rabbi. The role of the Prisons Service Rabbi involved a lot of personal attention."

"Ready for a Meeting, Not for Reconciliation"

Rabbi Perl says, "I received many complaints from religious firefighters," and adds: "My frustration did not start today. Part of the general staff did not appreciate that this is a state agency and, as such, should significantly express its Jewish character. What ultimately broke me was that the current commissioner refused to discuss anything with me. It's okay to have different opinions in a role, but the current situation provides no solutions for tough issues.

"I had no staff at all. I travel the country, attend funerals, memorials, kosher supervision, etc., and one person cannot manage this role alone. Comparing it to other security bodies, there should be at least five officers subordinated to me. A year ago, there was an agreement to add two positions per year, but the commissioner did not implement even that."

 Why did you choose to break the tools?

"It's not right to call it breaking tools. Chief Rabbi David Lau tried to facilitate a reconciliation meeting between me and the commissioner, and I said I was open to a meeting but not reconciliation - because I have nothing personal against him, and I'm not threatening but leaving. The situation was complicated before, but now it's impossible. Hence, I'm handing over the keys and leaving. In Shabbat crafts, it's called 'tearing to sew,' which is considered fixing, not ruining. I hope the situation will be addressed and the successor will be allowed to make improvements. Public leaders should intervene in this matter to have a fire department with the character of a Jewish state."

The Fire and Rescue Services responded to these remarks by saying, "We thank Rabbi Perl for his contribution to the Fire and Rescue system and wish him success in all his future endeavors. We do not intend to respond to the claims."