The Chief Rabbinate of Israel has published a draft version of its new criteria for the recognition of rabbinical courts in the Diaspora in response to widespread claims that it "blacklists" certain rabbinical courts abroad and refuses to recognize the authority of some rabbis.
The list of criteria is slated to be presented to the Chief Rabbinate Council in about two weeks.
The draft document proposes recognizing conversions and divorces performed by standing Orthodox rabbinical courts that deal with these matters year-round and are recognized in their respective countries. Only rulings by permanent rabbinical court judges – dayanim – would be recognized.
The document also states that requests from foreign rabbinical courts to be recognized by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate would be assessed based on the need for a rabbinical court in that area, taking into account the existence of other rabbinical courts there, the size of the local Jewish population, and whether the existing rabbinical courts are meeting the population's needs.
The new regulations will apply only to new rabbinical courts or existing rabbinical courts abroad that have not yet been recognized by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate.
The second part of the draft proposal has sparked anger because it demands that rabbinical courts not included in the Chief Rabbinate's list apply for recognition and pass oral and written exams on the Jewish laws of divorce and conversion.
This effectively means that many foreign rabbis, some of whom are well-known and respected in their own countries, would have to travel to Israel and present themselves to the Chief Rabbinate for the exams.
Another item in the draft document hints at an impending crisis.
"Regarding a request for recognition as a rabbinical court for conversion, aside from the halachic exams in this field, a committee will look into whether the applicant is fitting to conduct conversions," it says.
This means that the Chief Rabbinate will be able to reject rabbis on grounds other than their halachic capabilities.
The Itim advocacy group, which has been campaigning against the alleged "blacklists" for some time, was outraged at the new criteria, saying they are a "declaration of war on the unity of the Jewish people."
"These criteria exhibit ignorance of everything having to do with Diaspora Jewry, and their sole mission is to entrench the [Chief] Rabbinate's monopoly overseas as well. Just as the rabbinate has alienated Jews in Israel from the religious establishment, it will alienate Diaspora Jews from Israel," Itim said.
