The London Beth Din (LBD) is the Ashkenazi

Beth Din A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a Rabbinic Judaism, rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of ...

of the

United Synagogue The United Synagogue (US) is a union of British Orthodox Jewish synagogues, representing the central Orthodox movement in Judaism. With 62 congregations (including 7 affiliates and 1 associate, ), comprising 40,000 members, it is the largest ...

, the largest Ashkenazi synagogal body in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. In its capacity as ''Court of the Chief Rabbi'', it is historically the supreme halakhic Authority for

Ashkenazim Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

in several Commonwealth countries and additionally is consulted by Batei Din throughout Europe. The current head ('' Rosh Beth Din'') of the London Beth Din is Dayan Menachem Gelley, who joined the court in 1993 and was appointed to his current position in 2014, succeeding Chanoch Ehrentreu.

Overview

The Beth Din has functioned as the central religious authority in Britain since the early eighteenth century. It has been headed by a number of illustrious Rabbis including

Tevele Schiff Chief Rabbi David Tevele Schiff () (died December 17, 1791; or, in the Hebrew calendar, 26 Kislev 5551) was the chief rabbi of Great Britain and the rabbi of the Great Synagogue of London from 1765 until his death. Rabbi Schiff was a disciple of ...

and

Yehezkel Abramsky Yehezkel Abramsky ( he, יחזקאל אברמסקי) (7 February 1886 – 19 September 1976), also affectionately referred to as Reb Chatzkel Abramsky, was a prominent and influential Lithuanian Jewish Orthodox rabbi and scholar, born and raised ...

. It is responsible for the largest kashruth organization in Europe, known as KLBD, under Rabbi Jeremy Conway. The Beth Din's work includes genealogical research, divorce and the arbitration of civil disputes.

Conversions

The LBD program is supposed to take 2-3 years although at times it does take longer. The Beth Din processes about 35 converts per annum from around the UK, with other Beth Dins (such as Manchester sending their converts to LBD for final approval). The process involves private tutoring from an approved list of teachers, and a six-month period where the candidate is expected to board with an approved family. The candidate is expected to pay for this. They are also expected to live within walking distance of an

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

Jewish community. Conversions have been terminated mid-process, even for conversions affecting even those living outside of England. Rabbis from outside London's Orthodox community have attempted to intervene; LBD calls it a private matter. However, the Beth Din insist that their approach is necessary in keeping with the

Halachic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...

requirement for a prospective convert to commit to a full observance of the commandments. The highly centralised Orthodox community in London means that not going through them for a conversion could harm a family, such as not being permitted to attend a Jewish school. There is an alternative pathway to conversion in London through the Spanish and Portuguese community.

References

{{United Synagogue Ashkenazi Jewish culture in London Kosher food certification organizations Orthodox Judaism in London