June 4, 2015 — New York, New York
The Jewish Religious Equality Coalition (J-REC) is appalled to hear of the Chief Rabbinate’s threat to deny renewal of Rabbi Shlomo Riskin’s tenure.
Since receiving his rabbinic ordination more than 50 years ago, Rabbi Riskin has been a leader within the Modern Orthodox community. Not only has he been a strong advocate of inclusive conversion procedures, but he has also been an outspoken advocate of women in leadership positions. J-REC has been working to create alternatives to the Chief Rabbinate on issues of personal status, notably marriage, divorce, and conversion. “Rabbi Riskin’s conversion process is a step in the right direction in liberalizing the process,” said Dov Zakheim, chair of J-REC. “Not re-appointing him sends the message symbolically of the imposition of religious fundamentalism upon Israeli society.”
