Three hundred American Reform rabbis, attending the 92nd convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) here over the weekend, adopted a resolution demanding the “disestablishment” of the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate in Israel and the granting of equal rights to Reform and Conservative rabbis in this country.
The Chief Rabbinate is the only Jewish religious body officially recognized and supported by the government and has exclusive jurisdiction over all aspects of religious life in Israel. CCAR leaders said at a press conference yesterday that their resolution had nothing to do with Israel’s Knesset elections tomorrow. They said it was prompted by the Chief Rabbinate law passed by the Knesset with strong government support last year, which transferred the authority to decide which rabbis may perform weddings from local religious councils to the Chief Rabbinate. The latter is immune from court suits.
Rabbi Joseph Glaser, executive vice president of the CCAR, said his movement is tired of making periodic protests against degrading and sometimes insulting behavior toward its members living in Israel “and decided to take more drastic action.” Glaser said that immediately after the elections, Reform movement leaders would begin lobbying every Knesset member to change the law.
The efforts of Reform and Conservative rabbis to achieve equality in Israel are bitterly opposed by Orthodox groups here and in the U.S. which denounce “religious pluralism” in Israel.
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