RCA and OU Repudiate Statement by Some Israeli Rabbis Denouncing US Secretary of State John Kerry
February 5, 2014RCA Supports Religious Liberty and Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., in Amicus Brief to US Supreme Court
March 25, 2014RCA/BDA Statement Regarding Past Conversions
A JTA op-ed (March 6, 2014) accuses the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) and its affiliated rabbinical court, the Beth Din of America (BDA), of actively challenging the validity of prior conversions performed by members of the RCA.
We disagree. At no time have the RCA or the Beth Din proactively sought to reevaluate conversions; that is not our interest or desire. However, Halachah does have its standards, and we have acted and will continue to act as a source of information to those rabbinic agencies which seek to determine if halachic standards have been upheld. In creating the “Geirus Protocol Standards” system, we have facilitated the acceptance of U.S. conversions throughout the world. Furthermore, it is only natural, as a responsible local presence of halachic authority, that we are a resource for rabbinical agencies, in Israel and worldwide.
As always, consistent with confidentiality policies, both the RCA and the Beth Din decline to comment regarding the specific facts and circumstances of particular cases.
Rabbi Leonard Matanky, RCA President
Rabbi Shlomo Weissmann, Director, BDA
