American Orthodox Rabbis Warn Israel Against ‘menace’ of Conservatism

The issue of the validity in Israel of non-Orthodox marriages and divorces was raised again today during a visit here of a delegation of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, for the stated purpose of arousing the Israeli public about the “menace” of the Conservative synagogue movement in Israel.

The visiting Orthodox rabbis expressed surprise when they were told by reporters at a press conference that Conservative rabbis were authorized to act as marriage registrars in Israel. They said they had understood that such marriages were not “recognized” in Israel.

The visiting rabbis also said that Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim had promised them emphatically that the Israel rabbinate would not recognize divorces issued by the Conservative Beth Din (Jewish Religious Court) in the United States. They expressed disbelief when they were told that Israeli rabbinical officials had assured Dr. Louis Finkelstein, American Conservative leader, and Prof. Saul Liberman, Jewish law experts of the movement, to the contrary.

When the Chief Rabbi’s office was contacted for comment, a spokesman there said that both sides had “exaggerated” in reporting “promises” made to them. The Chief Rabbi was not in his office, having left for a brief holiday in Switzerland.

Before he left, Rabbi Nissim accepted an invitation from the delegation to visit the United States, but did not specify a date. It was assumed that, if the United States visit materialized, it would not be before next spring, when elections are scheduled for a new Chief Rabbinate Council in Israel.

The American delegation consisted of Rabbis Yaacov Kaminetsky, David Lifshitz, Solomon Richman, Yitzhak Small, Avigdor Ziperstein and Simcha Elberg.