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Israeli Government Appoints Alternative Marriage Registrars To Validate Conversions By Military Rabbis

By Howard M. Friedman

Today's Jerusalem Post reports on the latest developments in the ongoing tensions within the governmental religious establishment over standards and procedures for conversion to Judaism. On Sunday, the government informed the High Court of Justice that the Chief Rabbinate had appointed four new rabbinical judges from the state-administered conversion courts to act as marriage registrars who could register marriages, allowing couples to bypass city registrars. At issue is the refusal in four cities by marriage registrars to recognize the validity of conversions carried out in the army by state-administered conversion courts. The government's announcement came in a brief filed with the High Court in a case challenging the four registrars who had refused to accept conversions performed in the IDF that were not not approved by the Chief Rabbinate. Some 4,500 soldiers have been converted by military chaplains.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on November 15, 2010 (boomark / email).