The State of Israel recognises the Chief Rabbinate as the sole authority to perform
conversions to Judaism in Israel. In the past, conversion was often done sensitively and with an appreciation for
halakhic traditions—for example, during the tenure of
Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel, who was very encouraging of converts. 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). Some rabbis claim this centralisation is a threat to the future of the
Jewish people. Significant controversy has shrouded the relationship between the Chief Rabbis and the conversion process. In the summer of 2017, it was revealed that the Chief Rabbinate held a list of
batei din whose conversions it would recognise and another, secreted list of rabbis and
batei din whose conversions it would not recognise. The list generated controversy due to the inclusion of several respected Orthodox rabbis, such as
Avi Weiss and
Yehoshua Fass, along with non-Orthodox rabbis and
batei din. The list included Conservative and Reform conversion programs, which the Chief Rabbis do not accept on
ideological grounds. However, many other programs were seemingly omitted from the list. The list was kept secret, providing no chance for external review or appeal, which resulted in discord. 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. Lookstein officiated
Ivanka Trump’s conversion, causing tension between
Israel and the United States shortly after her
father was elected president. Soon after that, the rules were amended so that Trump's conversion was accepted. Still, there were questions about whether the changes were made only to curry favour with the
Trump administration. 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. The Chief Rabbis have faced pushback against their stance in Israel through the rabbis of
Tzohar, who have created an independent path to conversion and are trying to alleviate some of the "horror stories" that come from the Rabbinate. Tzohar had claimed to have performed over 500 conversions of children by 2018, and were seeking to simplify the process for surrogates to convert. The
Supreme Court of Israel has since demanded that their conversions be accepted, but there were efforts to legislate an override the High Court's decision in 2017. Other efforts within the Orthodox world exist to conduct conversions outside the Rabbinate. These include efforts by
Haim Amsalem and
Chuck Davidson, 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. 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. The conversion debate as of 2018 surrounds the Orthodox stream. There is pressure from within the Reform and Conservative communities to have their conversions recognized. In March 2019, it was confirmed that the Chief Rabbinate was using
genealogical DNA testing to determine
Jewish status. A group of
religious Zionist and Modern Orthodox organizations was outraged, as this was contrary to Jewish law. Rabbi
Aaron Leibowitz, the CEO of Chuppot and
Hashgacha Pratit, called the Chief Rabbinate "racist". == Marriages ==