Jewish Religious Court Urged to Settle Disputes

An ideological range of American Jewish lay leaders, voicing anguish over sharp disagreements among Jews, has called for a “return to civil discourse” and the establishment of religious courts to arbitrate conversion and divorce disputes.

In anticipation of the start of the Jewish High Holy Days, which began with Rosh Hashanah services Friday night, a statement signed by 19 men and women, all lay leaders of Jewish organizations, was released this week at the American Jewish Committee’s New York City headquarters.

The acrimony has disrupted relationships among the Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist movements and “threatens our cohesiveness as a people,” according to the statement.

“Since so much of the acrimony stems from differences over Jewish conversion and divorce procedures,” the statement said, “we favor serious consideration of proposals for a national bet din (Jewish religious court) with local branches. . . . “