 A Rabbinical Committee attached to the Ministry of the Interior had been established by the law of May 26, 1848, to consider questions involving the Jewish religion, but had rarely been called together.When the Committee was again summoned to St. Petersburg by the edict of May 25, 1857, Barit was appointed as one of the members and acted as its chairman for the whole session of six months.He acted in the same capacity at the Rabbinical Conference of 1861, which lasted about five months.