The affair, brought to light in a detailed 50-page document, exposes a controversial process that led to approval of a marriage that leading halakhic authorities define as "a serious breach in the sanctity of Israel."

The story began when the groom, known as a member of a priestly family, became engaged to a bride who had undergone Orthodox conversion about two years before the engagement. The bride's mother underwent Conservative conversion in 2003, and the daughter underwent an additional "stringent" conversion years later. Jewish law clearly states that a Cohen is forbidden to marry a convert, so initially it appeared the marriage would not be possible.

Behind the religious ruling stands a rabbi from Lakewood who issued an initial permit claiming the groom has no status as a Cohen, since his grandfather was born to someone who does not observe Torah and commandments, and according to Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, there is no credibility to the claim that he is a Cohen. When the groom did not want to give up his status as a Cohen and even performed the priestly blessing during Sukkot after receiving this ruling, the rabbi offered a second reasoning - that it's possible to rely on the mother's Conservative conversion, so the daughter is not a convert but rather the daughter of a convert, who is permitted to a Cohen.

Many rabbis opposed these permits and signed a public declaration in early December. The letter stated, among other things, that the groom's family has the presumption of being Cohens and there is even a grave of five generations with "the Cohen" written on it, and that Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ruled that Conservative conversion is completely invalid and there was no acceptance of commandments. It further stated that even if the Conservative conversion were valid, the girl's father is a Cohen, and if he married a convert, the daughter would be a chalala (ritually disqualified) and forbidden to a Cohen.

The case was brought before a special rabbinical court comprising three judges. The court investigated the mother's conversion as well as the priestly status of the families involved. According to them, they found four main lines of defense – the bride's mother's conversion was performed by Orthodox rabbis, according to DNA testing the mother's family originates from Spain and there are traditions pointing to Marrano origins, the bride's father is definitely not a Cohen, and the groom's family are definitely not Cohens.

The document details how the rabbinical court conducted extensive investigations, including secret phone recordings with family members, DNA tests, and an investigation of family roots. According to opponents, the investigations are based on testimony from secular people who have no halakhic credibility, and the evidence presented is distorted and inaccurate. They claim the investigation was based on wrong assumptions about the religious character of the groom's grandfather, and that the conclusions against the priestly status are based on unfounded testimony.

At a certain point, one of the judges from the Beth HaVaad, who was related to the matter, decided to testify and explain that there is no doubt in the family and that the grandfather was religious when the father was born. The rabbinical court decided that since there are family members on the court, "we cannot complete the research," so the court removes itself from the matter and wrote that there is no permit that can be relied upon in this matter.

Despite this, some of the judges continued to say in many cases that there is a permit, and eventually, an additional rabbi became the one promoting the permit side based on the court's findings. The question was also presented to a rabbi expert in lineage matters from Israel, and he responded in a written answer that he sees no place for a permit based on the facts presented to him, and that there is a presumption of priestly status and also "he makes himself a piece of forbidden matter."

About two weeks before the wedding, a four-hour conference call was held that included family members, as well as the person who did the research for the rabbinical court, and several involved rabbis. The permitting side presented their position, and the family presented their counter-arguments, which completely answered all the permitting side's claims. It appeared that all objections to the priestly status fell completely, and the consensus of the call participants was that he is not a Cohen.

At this stage, many additional rabbis wrote letters against the permit, including the four heads of Lakewood Yeshiva and other leading rabbis. Meanwhile, the groom and his family, as well as the marriage officiant, received clear notices from one of the judges informing them that the original permit from the rabbinical court remains in force, and finally, based on these assurances, the wedding took place as planned in February 2024.

Following the case, a real storm developed in American Judaism, with calls for a boycott of "the Beth HaVaad of Lakewood." On June 30, leading rabbis published a sharp letter in which they declared that from today until they respond to their demand to fully clarify the matter, "the Beth Din Beth HaVaad of Lakewood is not presumed to be a valid rabbinical court, and there is no obligation to respond to summons from the court, and any document testifying to a rabbinical court action that might have been performed by one of the aforementioned judges is not presumed to be a valid rabbinical court action."

Many leading rabbis signed the sharp letter, including heads of yeshivas, heads of study halls, and judges. They demanded that court members present all investigations, processes, evidence, and findings on which they based their ruling that permitted a Cohen to marry a convert.

The detailed document presents sharp criticism of the entire process, claiming the permit is based on unreliable testimony and erroneous interpretations of Jewish law. It details how the mother's Conservative conversion was done without true acceptance of commandments, and how claims against the family's priestly status are based on people who have no halakhic credibility. It further claims the investigation was not conducted thoroughly and objectively, and there were attempts to hide important information.

The affair stirred waves of shock in Orthodox communities in the US, and difficult questions were raised regarding decision-making processes in rabbinical courts and the level of adherence to serious Jewish laws. Critics of the religious ruling claim the case emphasizes the importance of preserving the authority of leading halakhic authorities and established procedures in halakhic decision-making. The issue goes beyond the specific case and touches on the very approach to giving serious permits in Jewish law, calling for thorough clarification to prevent similar breaches in the future.

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He's heir to the throne in one of the oldest monarchies in the Middle East and a claimed descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. She's a Saudi architect with an aristocratic pedigree of her own.

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Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, 28, and Rajwa Alseif, 29, are to be married on Thursday at a palace wedding in Jordan. The families have not said how the couple met or provided any details about their courtship. They were formally engaged at a traditional Muslim ceremony in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in August 2022 that was attended by senior members of Jordan's royal family. The bride and groom are destined to become a power couple in the Middle East, forging a new bond between Jordan and Saudi Arabia as the latter seeks to transform itself into a regional power broker.

Rajwa Alseif was born in Riyadh on April 28, 1994, the youngest of four children. Her mother, Azza bint Nayef Abdulaziz Ahmad Al Sudairi, is related to Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi, who is said to have been the favorite wife of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, and gave birth to seven of his sons, including the country's current ruler, King Salman. For decades, the so-called Sudairi Seven, most of whom are now deceased, were seen as a major locus of power within the Saudi royal family.

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A Jewish couple got married in Dubai on Wednesday in what is considered the largest Jewish wedding ever to take place in the United Arab Emirates. 

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More than 600 young men and women from Russia and the former Soviet Union attended the celebrations that took place in the heart of the Dubai desert.

The attendees were flown to the Gulf state by the Yachad outreach organization that runs Torah-learning groups throughout the former FSU and is led by Moscow-based Chabad Rabbi Mendy Wilansky. Yachad aims to strengthen Jewish communities abroad and prevent assimilation by teaching youngsters about Jewish values. 

The Dubai trip was the culmination of a year-long weekly Torah-learning program that all 600 youngsters attended. Yachad organizes such trips annually. 

"The first generation to grow up after the collapse of the Iron Curtain came to visit Dubai, to see how it's possible to walk around with a kippah and tzitzit [ritual fringes], as proud Jews, even in an Arab country," said Russian Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar, who officiated the wedding. 

According to Lazar, Emirati officials commended such celebrations taking place in their country and even met with youngsters during their trip.

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The pandemic brought them together: Elior and Leah Ben Baruch have an unusually moving "how we met" story.

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"When my grandfather, Yehuda, was ill with COVID, his condition got worse, and he was hospitalized on the COVID unit at Hadassah Ein Karem," says Elior, 29, an officer in the Jerusalem District Police's Temple Mount Unit.

"That was during the first wave. There was a lot of concern about transmission, and we couldn't go in and visit Granddad. We were worried about him, and got daily updates from the devoted staff who were caring for him.

"Luckily, my father heard about a relative of someone he knew from France who was working as an X-ray technician at Hadassah Ein Karem and was helping X-ray the COVID patients' lungs. We contacted her and asked her to take care of Granddad and give him support. That technician, who has a huge heart, threw herself into the mission. We didn't know that her willingness to help would end with her joining the family," Elior said.

Leah, 26, added, "Grandpa Yehuda was cared for by the staff. Every time I'd go up to him to see how he was, and update the family. I got to know a charming man and a close family."

When Yehuda was discharged from the hospital, he still needed to be on oxygen, and the family asked Leah to keep helping him.

"I got to know everyone better, and very quickly the connection to Elior turned into something else, to a story of our own, to love," Leah says.

Elior smiles: "It was a crazy time – Leah was always working on the COVID unit at Hadassah, and I was with the police. We were working around the clock to cut off chains of infection. Who would have believed that at a time like that, such a serious relationship could form? Still, it looks like love conquers all. Even the craziness of COVID."

Leah and Elior married in December 2020 in a small ceremony, and Grandpa Yehuda was under the chuppa to bless the couple.

"Leah is pregnant, and we're expecting a baby girl," Elior says. "When she grows up, we'll tell her how COVID brought mom and dad together."

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As Israel readies to reopen its event venues, paving the ways for large-scale wedding celebrations, the Tzohar rabbinical organization is making vaccines mandatory for its members who perform marriages and pre-marriage meetings with brides.

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Tzohar head Rabbi David Stav has informed member rabbis that only officiants who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 or recovered from the virus will be allowed to conduct wedding ceremonies or meet with brides.

"Heaven forbid that the desire to bring the news of family and sanctity entail spreading disease," Stav's message said.

"In the news few days, there will be many wedding ceremonies. Health Ministry regulations must be followed carefully during the wedding, as well as social distancing rules," Stav added.

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The coronavirus restrictions and the current ban on weddings in Israel have forced couples to look for a wedding destination abroad. Dubai is proving to be a popular destination not only for tens of thousands of Israeli tourists but for couples that dream of a big wedding too. 

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An official at the Dubai principality told Israel Hayom that authorities in the United Arab Emirates received hundreds of requests from ultra-Orthodox communities from Israel and the US to hold weddings in Dubai with hundreds of guests attending.

According to the official, the ultra-Orthodox leaders suggested that if the authorities approve the requests to hold mass weddings in Dubai, they would, in turn, send rabbis and kashrut supervisors to the emirate.

Mohammed bin Jassim Al Thami, a resident of the UAE and owner of dozens of event halls and venues in Dubai and other UAE emirates, told Israel Hayom that multiple prominent Hassidic leaders contacted him with the request to hold events in his halls and venues. 

"We have received multiple requests from Jewish leaders in Israel and the US asking us to rent our event halls. We are ready to conduct business with anyone who is interested, regardless of religion, as long as the authorities approve," Al Thami said. 

"We are in the advanced stage of negotiations with the leaders. If Dubai remains a green country [a designation that allows Israelis returning from a visit to avoid self-isolation], religious Jews from Israel and the US will be holding events in our halls very soon."

We were approached with similar requests by Israeli Arabs too, both Muslims and Christians. It is a great honor for us to host weddings for those from the Arab sector in Israel. Unfortunately, the price might have spooked some of them away."

Izu Yitzhak, CEO of a photography company popular among ultra-Orthodox, has received dozens of requests in the past week from families interested in holding their children's weddings in Dubai.

He says that there have been similar requests from the Arab sector as well, although much fewer than from the ultra-Orthodox sector, "perhaps because of financial concerns and other considerations." According to Yitzhak, "dozens of ultra-Orthodox weddings will be held in Dubai in the upcoming weeks."

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Just in time for holiday engagement season, the US retail jewelry chain Jared has announced the debut of an exclusive engagement ring collection by Israeli bridal designer Pnina Tornai of Say Yes to the Dress fame.

Marking Jared's first partnership in the bridal fashion world, each of the rings in Tornai's collection comes with a unique backstory, all inspired by love stories Tornai has heard in her two decades of working with brides.

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The rings all feature a signature rose gold cuff detail with three diamonds in the band, symbolizing two exceptional individuals and the life they create together. Each ring will also come with a certificate of authenticity, verifying it as an original Pnina Tornai design.

The new 31-piece collection retails from $699 to $19,999 and will be available exclusively in Jared retail stores in the US and online.

"In my years working closely with brides, I've had the privilege of hearing thousands of spectacular love stories that inspired me to create my first-ever jewelry collection – because these beautiful jewels would not have a purpose if it weren't for love," Tornai said.

"It has always been a dream for me to create an engagement jewelry collection," the designer said.

The jewelers are equally excited.

"We're thrilled to launch Pnina Tornai's first-ever ring collection – One by Pnina Tornai – exclusively at Jared, showcasing her unique designs inspired by her years of experience making brides feel special," said Bill Brace, chief market officer and executive GM at Jared.

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The proposal took place several years ago, in a mall in Paris. When the girl said "yes" and the boy declared her to be his wife, it was clear that both were just joking, but recently the girl, now 17, became worried that perhaps she was in fact married to the boy under Jewish and Israeli law, despite neither of them actually intending to reach such a situation.

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The woman decided it would be best to resolve this matter with the rabbinical authorities lest things get complicated when she decides to marry in the future.

She therefore submitted the following query: "Am I considered married and if so, should I get a technical divorce [from the boy] in order to make sure I can marry later on?"

A three-judge panel deliberated on the matter and interviewed the teen, who recounted the fake proposal and fake marriage. It also turned out that there was only one witness, which may not be enough to make a marriage ceremony official according to Jewish law.

Eventually, following extensive research, the judges ruled that neither party was of deliberate intent to get married, and that even if there was a hypothetical marriage, it would have not met the threshold for a Jewish wedding, as there was no chuppah, or traditional wedding canopy.

On top of that, one of the cardinal requisites for a wedding was not followed because the boy said the customary blessing – "With this ring, you are betrothed to me according to the law of Moses and Israel," – only after he put the ring on the girl's hand, which is not the correct order.

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Founded in 1996, Tzohar has assisted over 60,000 couples to marry in ceremonies that are consistent with Jewish and Israeli law and sensitive to the concerns that many couples across the religious spectrum have in advance of marriage.

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In what has become an increasingly divisive and politically charged issue, many secular couples and even some religious ones choose to avoid halachic marriage through the Israeli Rabbinate, fearing a sense of religious coercion or imposition into their personal space.

"We know very well that a large majority of Israeli couples, both religious and secular, will choose to have a halachic wedding if the process and experience are respectful of their needs and made accessible to them," says Tzohar founder and Chair Rabbi David Stav. "Our response has always been to work as hard as possible to give them that access and the critical next step is to open a center in Tel Aviv where so many in this community live and work."

The decision of many couples to marry outside of Israeli law – or begin a family outside of wedlock – impacts not only themselves. The children of these couples may find it difficult to prove their Jewish status when they come to marry in years ahead. "We need to appreciate that this is a social crisis that people aren't thinking about because it doesn't affect them today," Stav explains. "This is a problem that will impact future generations and the Jewish future of Israel."

Tzohar is currently launching an international fundraising campaign to fund the Tel Aviv center. Among those backing the effort are Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, former chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, who described Tzohar as having brought light into the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israeli Jews. "Tzohar does what we need to do in this particular day and age when so many Jews feel that somehow the religious world is looking down on them and Tzohar is going out to this community and saying be part of this heritage because it is yours as much as it is ours."

The Tzohar Center in Tel Aviv will be named in memory of Rabbi Elyashiv Knohl, a revered figure in the Israeli rabbinical and religious world. Rabbi Knohl directed the Tzohar Marriage Project and developed the vision for the inclusive and compassionate approach that attracted tens of thousands of couples to marry through the organization. The center will serve as a "one-stop shop" for couples, including registration offices and premarital counseling. The center will also house its own mikveh where brides can immerse ahead of their weddings in a setting that respects their personal privacy and dignity.

"This is a project that can literally bring a new face to Tel Aviv and transform this most special time in one's life from an experience many feel as coercive and imposing to one of unity and compassion for every Jew," says Rabbi Stav.

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Tuesday's event involved an unofficial wedding ceremony for 23 same-sex couples, who walked down the aisle, took vows and danced at a banquet, cheered by friends, family and supporters.

The annual pride parade, set for June 14, draws flocks of foreign visitors to Israel, which flaunts itself as one of the world's most gay-friendly tourist destinations.

Yet political rights for Israel's gay community lag behind increasingly widespread cultural acceptance.

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