The Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, David Lau, speaks at a Holocaust commemoration ceremony in Berlin. Image by Getty Images

(JTA) — The Israeli Chief Rabbinate has a list of some 160 rabbis it does not trust to confirm the Jewish identities of immigrants.

To get married in Israel, immigrants must prove they are Jewish to the Chief Rabbinate, often via a letter by a congregational rabbi attesting to the immigrant’s Jewish identity. This list comprises rabbis whose letters were rejected during 2016. Rabbis from 24 different countries appear on the list, which includes several prominent American Orthodox leaders.

The PDF of the full document, in Hebrew, can be viewed below. In addition, JTA has transcribed the list of 65 United States rabbis into English, and has listed the 59 verifiable names below in alphabetical order, along with denomination.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

JTA obtained the list from Itim, an organization that guides Israelis through the country’s religious bureaucracy, which has called the list a “blacklist.” JTA’s publication of this list should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Below is the list of United States rabbis, in  alphabetical order by first name. Several of the rabbis have died, but may have written letters attesting to congregants’ Jewish identity while still alive.

• Alberto Zeilicovich, Conservative
  Alexander Davis, Conservative
  Alfredo Winter, Conservative
  Amos Miller, Conservative
  Arthur Rulnick, Conservative
  Arthur Weiner, Conservative
  Arthur Zuckerman, Conservative
  Barry Dolinger, Orthodox
  Baruch Goodman, Orthodox
  Bernard Gerson, Conservative
  Dan Ornstein, Conservative
  Daniel Kraus, Orthodox
  David Rosen, Orthodox
  David Wortman, Reform
  David Zaslow, Renewal
  Eli Kogan, Orthodox
  Eliezer Hirsch, Orthodox
  George Nudell, Conservative
  Gerald Serotta, Reform
  Gil Steinlauf, Conservative
  Harold Berman, Conservative
  Irwin Groner, Conservative
  Isaac Lehrer, Conservative
  Jacob Max, Orthodox
  Jason Herman, Orthodox
  Jay Rosenbaum, Reform
  Joseph Potasnik, Orthodox
  Joseph Radinsky, Orthodox
  Josh Blass, Orthodox
  Joshua Skoff, Conservative
  Ken Carr, Reform
  Kenneth Roseman, Reform
  Leonard Gordon, Conservative
  Leonid Feldman, Conservative
  Marcelo Bronstein, Conservative
  Mario Karpuj, Conservative
  Melvin Sirner, Conservative
  Michael Pont, Conservative
  Michael Siegel, Conservative
  Morris Allen, Conservative
  Paul Plotkin, Conservative
  Paul Schneider, Conservative
  Paul Yedwab, Reform
  Peter Grumbacher, Reform
  Pinchas Chatzinoff, Orthodox
  Sam Fraint, Conservative
  Seth Adelson, Conservative
  Seymour Siegel, Conservative
  Shay Mintz, Orthodox
  Shimon Paskow, Conservative
  Shimon Russel, Orthodox
  Stephen Denker, Reform
  Stephen Goodman, Reform
  Stephen Mason, Reform
  Stephen Steindel, Conservative
  Steve Schwartz, Conservative
  Yaakov Kalmanofsky, Conservative
  Yaier Lehrer, Conservative
  Yehoshua Fass, Orthodox

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount