The London Beth Din (LBD) is the

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...

Beth Din of the

United Synagogue The United Synagogue (US) is the largest umbrella body for Orthodox Judaism in Britain. It is structured as a charity which serves the United Kingdom, British Jewish community in the broadest possible way. One of the largest charities in the B ...

, the largest Ashkenazi synagogal body in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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

halakhic ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments (''mitzv ...

Authority for

Ashkenazim Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language ...

in several

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

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 Chanoch Ehrentreu (27 December 1932 – 24 November 2022) was a German-born British Orthodox rabbi. He served for many years as the head of the London Beth Din in Great Britain (also known as The Court of the Chief Rabbi), serving the United S ...

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 and

Yehezkel Abramsky Yehezkel Abramsky (; 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 in the Russian Empire, who later ...

. It is responsible for the largest

kashruth (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashken ...

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 Batei Din (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-pag ...

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'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments ('' mitz ...

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 Batei din Ashkenazi Jewish culture in London Kosher food certification organizations Orthodox Judaism in London