For the first time in Israel, the Conference of European Rabbis dealt with the issue of establishing uniform criteria and cooperation for all European batei din and their counterparts in Israel. The conference, which was led by the European Gavad HaRav Chanoch Ehrentreu, affirmed a group of important decisions including: "The Conference will only recognize conversions and rulings passed by local recognized and important batei din. Rabbonim and members of the Conference will be obligated to reject outside rabbonim and their conversions. No conversion will be made in places where there lacks a solid infrastructure of religious communal life where converts can maintain a proper life of Torah and mitzvos. An international data base will be created which will be accessible to the batei din in Israel and abroad in order to cement joint activity between those courts in Europe."
Rabbonim of the CER
This special gathering of the Conference of European Rabbis which took place in Jerusalem was a follow-up of the decisions of the ongoing directorship of the Conference which convened a month ago in Minsk, Belarus.
In the course of the convention in Israel, shiurim were delivered by the Chairman, HaRav Galli; Rosh Yeshivas Chevron HaRav Moshe Mordechai Farbstein and HaRav Z. N. Goldberg.
They were also addressed by the Chief Rabbi. At the conclusion of his talk, Chief Rabbi HaRav Yitzchak Yosef said, "We will deepen the cooperation of activities and information between the batei din in Israel and their counterparts in Europe." He requested that the Conference update the list of batei din which are certified to make conversions in Europe with the recommendation that they be also recognized by the Chief Rabbi.
