A woman converted to Judaism by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein of Kehillath Jeshurun Congregation in New York was summoned to another hearing on her case, set for Wednesday, by the Chief Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem.
The summons followed an appeal of the ruling of the Petach Tikva Rabbinical Court which did not recognize Rabbi Lookstein’s conversion, arguing that the rabbi, one of the most prominent modern Orthodox rabbis in the United States, is not recognized by the State of Israel to perform conversions.
The rabbi is also known for his conversion of Ivanka Trump, a prominent businesswoman in her own right who is married to New York Observer owner and publisher Jared Kushner — and who is also the daughter of U.S. GOP presumptive presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The appeal was submitted by the convert to the Supreme Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem last Wednesday with the assistance of the ITIM organization, and the verdict generated massive protests both in Israel and abroad.
ITIM director Rabbi Dr. Seth Farber demanded that the Supreme Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem accept the woman’s conversion. “We were very surprised by the summons,” he said.
“It’s time to stop torturing the convert… We call upon the Court not to take in this war of attrition and allow this convert, and many other who converted by the Halacha with Orthodox rabbis in the Diaspora, to marry and lead a full Jewish life in Israel.”
The Petach Tikva verdict has already been reversed by Israel Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau, who explained in a letter to Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and opposition chairman and MK Isaac Herzog that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel recognizes conversions performed by Rabbi Lookstein, including that of Ivanka Trump.
Rabbi Lau explained in his letter that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the local Rabbinical Courts are separate entities, but that the Chief Rabbinate Council would be convening soon. One of the items on the agenda, he said, would be the appeal of the Petach Tikva verdict. He expressed his confidence that the opinion of the Chief Rabbinate would be made clear to the local rabbinical courts at that meeting, set for Wednesday, 1 Tamuz.