The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada also known as the Agudas HaRabbanim (or Agudath Harabonim) ("union of rabbis") was established in 1901 in the United States and as such is among the oldest organizations of Orthodox rabbis which could be described as having a Haredi worldview. It was originally aligned with the Orthodox Union which it helped establish. In later years, the Orthodox Union drifted away from the Agudas HaRabbanim, and closer to the relatively Modern Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America (RCA).

The Union of Orthodox Rabbis is perhaps best known for their excommunication of Mordecai M. Kaplan in 1945. Kaplan had co-edited a new Reconstructionist prayer book that they deemed heretical.

Note: The Aguddas HaRabbanim should not be confused with the Agudath Israel of America (Agudas Yisroel) organization.

A past president of the organization was Rabbi Moshe Feinstein.

The organization has not shied away from controversy. For example, in the Friday April 4, 1997 edition of The Jewish Press, "A Historic Declaration" stated that:

Reform and Conservative are not Judaism at all. Thir adherents are Jews, according to the Jewish Law, but their religion is not Judaism...we appeal to our fellow Jew, members of the Reform and Conservative movements: Having been falsely led by heretical leaders that Reform and Conservative are legitimate branches and denominations of Judaism, we urge you to be guided by this declaration, and withdraw from your affiliation with Reform and Conservative temples and their clergy. Do not hesitate to attend an Orthodox synagogue due to your inadequate observance of Judaism. On the contrary, it is because of that inadequacy that you need to attend an Orthodox synagogue where you will be warmly welcomed...

The organization also condemned the National Jewish Outreach Program's (NJOP) Shabbat Across America/Canada (SAA) program because it co-ordinated and helped Reform and Conservative organizations. Thus, in the Friday March 7, 2003, edition of The Jewish Press it declares:

...Agudas Horabonim cannot approve of a call to attend a Reform or Conservative temple on Friday night, or any time. As important as Kiruv - bringing Jews closer to the synagogue - is, it must be carried out in accordance with the Halacha. Since the "Shabbat Across America/Canada" does not state that the synagogue must be Orthodox, clearly implying that it can also be a Reform and Conservative temple, the Agudas Harabonim strongly disapproves, and warns all Jews not to take part in the "Shabbat Across Across America/Canada" program.

One of the leading organizers of the above public protests was Rabbi David Hollander, a well-known Orthodox rabbi and writer in New York.

In recent years the organization has been under the direction of Rabbi Lazer Ginzberg.

External link

• Union of Orthodox Rabbis website

Jewish organizations | Judaism in the United States | Orthodox Judaism