Rabbinical court

Knesset panel advances bill to expand rabbinical courts’ power over civil matters

Critics have warned of the bill's democratic implications, including those involving women's rights, which may deepen the rift between the haredi and secular communities.

THE RABBINICAL Court’s Division for Agunot in Jerusalem.
THE CHIEF RABBINATE’S Supreme Court for Appeals in Jerusalem: Israelis deserve a religious court system that honors both Halacha and human dignity, the writer asserts.

Rabbinical court chaos leaves Israelis trapped in a broken system - opinion

Red shoes are displayed to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Be brave – in the small, everyday ways, the writer urges.

Ending violence against women starts with refusing to look away - opinion

US President Donald Trump addressing the Knesset in Israel, following the release of the last 20 living hostages from Gaza, October 13, 2025.

Knesset advances bill expanding rabbinical courts’ power over civil matters


The rabbinical courts: Sick system at the heart of society - opinion

The courts are staffed by judges who rule on momentous matters within a system that lacks proper training, transparency, and oversight.

PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG and Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef attend a ceremony inaugurating new judges in the rabbinical courts at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem in June.

Rabbinical Court approves Jewish divorce to a woman who was unable to remarry for over 20 years

The couple married in the United States in 1997 and had three children. In 2002, the woman filed for divorce in a US court, but her husband refused to participate in the proceedings.

 A WOMAN seeking divorce in a ‘beit din’ was the sole female in the room until the advent of ‘toanot.’ (Illustrative)

Newly elected Rabbinical Court judges inaugurated at President’s Residence

Seven of the judges who will serve in the Rabbinical High Court were voted into office last Thursday, and the 21 regional judges were elected two weeks earlier.

 Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a swearing in ceremony for new judges in the Rabbinical Court, held at the President's residence in Jerusalem on June 10, 2025.

Rabbinical Court denies woman's cremation request, orders Jewish burial

The court ruled that the woman was not competent to make decisions regarding her body or inheritance, invalidating the will and ordering that her remains be transported to Israel for burial.

The Great Rabbinical Court of Appeals in Jerusalem.

Rabbinic court judge criticizes Judaism inquisitors - ITIM

More than 30,000 immigrants have had their Jewishness questioned by the rabbinical courts.

THE HEADQUARTERS of the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem, as seen here in 2013.

'He just hates women': Smotrich-backed chief rabbi nom. faces controversy over child support policy

Smotrich’s support for Halevi is in contrast to the committee he himself established with rabbis from the religious Zionist community.

 FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a news conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, last week.

Divorce refusal will only be solved if everyone does their part - opinion

The bill dictates “divorce refusal” as the situation in which a court has issued a ruling requiring the husband to give a divorce that the husband subsequently ignores. 

 A WOMAN seeking divorce in a ‘beit din’ was the sole female in the room until the advent of ‘toanot.’ (Illustrative)

Bnei Brak Yeshiva announce death of Rabbi Baruch Weisbecker z"l

Rabbi Baruch Weisbecker was known to be dedicated to the spiritual development of his students and was a leading figure in the Haredi community.

Rabbi Baruch Weisbecker

Senior judge in rabbinic court system named as victim in Jerusalem attack

Wasserman was considered one of the more senior and experienced judges in the rabbinical court system.

 People mourn rabbinical judge, Elimelech Wasserman, who was killed in a shooting attack when Hamas gunmen opened fire at a bus stop at the entrance to Jerusalem, in a hearse, ahead of the funeral in Jerusalem November 30, 2023

New to Israel? Rabbis here aren't the same as they are elsewhere - opinion

Many immigrants assume that the rabbinic model they knew in their country of origin applies in Israel. This is not the case.

 Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Shlomo Amar visits at a Yeshiva in Hispin, northern Israel, October 21, 2021.