In another episode that is expected to create further angst from many Jewish leaders in the Diaspora towards the Jewish state, Israel’s Chief Rabbinate was revealed to have a “blacklist” of some 160 Rabbis in the Diaspora of whom full legitimacy is not granted in confirming the Jewish identities of new immigrants.

Rabbis in the Diaspora help to vouch for the Jewish status of prospective immigrants to Israel, who subsequently qualify to immigrate to Israel under the “Law of Return” after demonstrating their Jewish identity. However, Israel’s Chief Rabbinate is in charge of approving other rights for Jews in Israel such as marriage and burial in Jewish cemeteries.

Both Orthodox and non-Orthodox Rabbis are included on the list of Rabbis whose verification letters of one’s Jewish status have been rejected by the Rabbinate in 2016.

The list was obtained by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) from the nonprofit organization Itim that helps Israelis “navigate the depths of the religious authorities’ bureaucracy in Israel.” Itim had acquired the list after filing a freedom-of-information request in 2015 for a list of Rabbis in the Diaspora approved by the Rabbinate.

Prominent orthodox Rabbinic figures on the “blacklist” include not only Rabbi Avi Weiss, the founder of the liberal orthodox stream known as “open Orthodoxy” who had been rejected by the Rabbinate once before, but also Rabbis associated with more traditional streams of orthodox Judaism such as Rabbi Joshua Blass, a student adviser at Yeshiva University’s Rabbinical seminary.

Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder of Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization that helps facilitate the immigration process of Jews from English-speaking countries, is included as well.

Itim’s executive director has deemed the list to be a “blacklist” demonstrating which Rabbis have not been trusted by the Rabbinate.  However, the Rabbinate’s spokesman Kobi Alter insisted in a phone interview with JTA that “there is no list of unrecognized Rabbis.”

The following Rabbis have been verified by the JTA as included among the list, according to their respective affiliations:

Alberto Zeilicovich, Conservative

Alexander Davis, Conservative

Alfredo Winter , Conservative

Amos Miller, Conservative

Arthur Rulnick, Conservative

Arthur Weiner , Conservative

Arthur Zuckerman, Conservative

Avi Weiss, Orthodox

Barry Dolinger, Orthodox

Baruch Goodman, Orthodox

Bernard Gerson, Conservative

Dan Ornstein, Conservative

Daniel Kraus, Orthodox

David Rosen, Orthodox

David Wortman, Reform

David Zaslow, Renewal

Eli Kogan, Orthodox

Eliezer Hirsch, Orthodox

George Nudell, Conservative

Gerald Serotta, Reform

Gil Steinlauf, Conservative

Harold Berman, Conservative

Irwin Groner, Conservative

Isaac lehrer, Conservative

Jacob Max , Orthodox

Jason Herman, Orthodox

Jay Rosenbaum, Reform

Joseph Potasnik, Orthodox

Joseph Radinsky, Orthodox

Josh Blass, Orthodox

Joshua Skoff, Conservative

Ken Carr, Reform

Kenneth Roseman, Reform

Leonard Gordon, Conservative

Leonid Feldman, Conservative

Marcelo Bronstein, Conservative

Mario Karpuj, Conservative

Melvin Sirner, Conservative

Michael Pont, Conservative

Michael Siegel, Conservative

Morris Allen, Conservative

Paul Plotkin, Conservative

Paul Schneider, Conservative

Paul Yedwab, Reform

Peter Grumbacher, Reform

Pinchas Chatzinoff, Orthodox

Sam Fraint, Conservative

Seth Adelson, Conservative

Seymour Siegel, Conservative

Shay Mintz, Orthodox

Shimon Paskow, Conservative

Shimon Russel, Orthodox

Stephen Denker, Reform

Stephen Goodman, Reform

Stephen Mason, Reform

Stephen Steindel, Conservative

Steve Schwartz, Conservative

Yaakov Kalmanofsky, Conservative

Yaier Lehrer, Conservative

Yehoshua Fass, Orthodox

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