[7] During the period of the British Mandate of Palestine, the High Commissioner established the Orthodox Rabbinate, comprising the Rishon LeZion to which was added an Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, which it recognised collectively as the religious authority for the Jewish community.
[8] In 1947, David Ben-Gurion and the Orthodox-religious parties reached an agreement, which included an understanding that matters of personal status in Israel would continue to be determined by the existing religious authorities.
In 1953, rabbinical courts were established, with jurisdiction over matters of marriage and divorces of all Jews in Israel, nationals and residents (section 1).
[9] In the past, conversion was often done sensitively and with an appreciation for halakhic traditions—for example, during the tenure Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel, who was very encouraging of converts.
[10] In recent generations, the authorities' criteria for undergoing the process have become more stringent—to the extent that the Rabbinate takes actions that are unprecedented in Jewish history (e.g., cancelling conversions).
[18] The list included Conservative and Reform conversion programs,[19] which the Chief Rabbis do not accept on ideological grounds.
[20] The blacklist did not affect the ability to make aliyah—immigration is controlled by the Law of Return rather than the Rabbinate—but did impact individuals’ access to recognized marriage in Israel.
[21][20] The situation became more problematic when it was revealed that Haskel Lookstein, an Orthodox rabbi in the United States, was included on the blacklist, preventing some of his students from marrying in Israel.
[22] Lookstein officiated Ivanka Trump’s conversion, causing tension between Israel and the United States shortly after her father was elected president.
[24] The control the Rabbinate attempted to exert extended into the Diaspora when it sought to create universal standards for conversion for all Jewish communities outside of Israel in 2016.
These include efforts by Haim Amsalem[31] and Chuck Davidson,[32][33] who want to return to the traditions of the earlier Chief Rabbis such as Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel with a more lenient approach in keeping with the Halakha.
[34][35] Part of their desire is to address the over 300,000 Israelis from the former Soviet Union who the Rabbinate does not recognize as Jewish, as well as the growing issue of assimilation and intermarriage outside of Israel.
Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz, the CEO of Chuppot and Hashgacha Pratit, called the Chief Rabbinate "racist".
Because of Israeli law, the rabbi that performs a marriage outside of the Rabbinate can be charged with a criminal offense and be jailed for up to two years.
[48] Conservative rabbi Dov Haiyun was detained in July 2018 for performing an unsanctioned wedding, leading to protests and condemnation from opposition lawmakers and mainstream Jewish organizations in the United States.
Additional semachot—with similar testing requirements—are granted for: Rav Ir and Dayanut are advanced qualifications offered only post-Yoreh Yoreh.
[40] At the same time, many defend the Chief Rabbinate as protecting the Jewish nature of Israel, the Torah, and Diaspora Jewry.