Israel’s Chief Rabbinate has a struck a deal with a body of European rabbis to recognise each other’s conversions — a move that could affect thousands of Jewish converts across the Continent.
Under the agreement, the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), an Orthodox umbrella body, will become the sole authority recognised in Israel for Jewish conversion in Europe.
In return, the European rabbis will not recognise private conversions within Israel.
Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, the CER’s president, welcomed the agreement: “Conversions have always been an important issue and we need global standards to ensure that those who have already converted are able to travel freely throughout the Jewish world.
