Religious Zionist rabbis, Chief Rabbinate in showdown over Jewish marriage
Tzohar association demands list of Rabbinate-approved rabbis from abroad.
By JEREMY SHARON
11/11/2013 07:15
The Tzohar rabbinic association has demanded to see the list of Diaspora-based rabbis approved by the Chief Rabbinate to give testimony on a person’s Jewish and marital status.
Jewish immigrants to Israel frequently need a rabbi from their community abroad to testify that they are Jewish, as well as requiring confirmation from their former communal rabbis that they are single or have converted to Judaism under their auspices. Most often such testimony is required for the purposes of marriage registration in Israel.
But in recent years, the Chief Rabbinate has restricted the number of rabbis in the Diaspora who it recognizes as authorized to provide such testimony, creating significant problems for Jewish immigrants wishing to get married in Israel according to Tzohar and others.
The Jerusalem Post has exclusively obtained a letter sent by the Tzohar rabbinical association to the Chief Rabbinate asking the institution for its list of Orthodox rabbis whose testimony it accepts, as well as the criteria which are used to define how these rabbis are approved.
http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Religious-Zionist-rabbis-Chief-Rabbinate-in-showdown-over-Jewish-marriage-331214
