“A majority of RCA members feel that some of his decisions are pushing the halachic red line or beyond that,” Rabbi Dratch said.
“Our goal is to be able to support the rabbis of the RCA, to be able to make sure that their letters are accepted by the Chief Rabbinate’s office.”
It’s unclear whether the reforms being developed will satisfy the Chief Rabbinate’s critics, Rabbi Weiss included. His lawyer in Israel, Assaf Benmelech, told JTA that further formalizing the process could end up creating unnecessary bureaucracy. Better, Benmelech said, for the Chief Rabbinate to simply take a wider view of who counts as Orthodox.
“When you have a known rabbi who knows Jewish law, he should be trustworthy,” he said. “To place formal boundaries is stupid. It’s all about personal trust.”
(JTA)