Lot 250
Ruling Regarding the "Kashrut" of the Ancestry of the Bene Israel Community from India - Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Rabbi Shlomo Goren
Letter of ruling regarding the "kashrut" of the genealogy of the Bene Israel community who immigrated from India, signed by the Chief Rabbis of Israel, R. Ovadia Yosef and R. Shlomo Goren. Jerusalem, 1982.
Sent to "Rabbis who register marriages in Israel", with a ruling permitting them "to marry any Jew". Among other things, they cite the former ruling of R. Herzog and R. Uziel on this issue, and "now we are speaking of the second generation of Indian immigrants who were conceived and born in the holiness of Eretz Israel, they are considered kosher (Jews) in every aspect…".
The Bene Israel community from India is an ancient community which was isolated for hundreds of years from the rest of the Jewish communities in India and in the Diaspora. With the immigration of this community to Israel in the 50s and 60s, a halachic controversy arose as to their ancestry. Charedi poskim were concerned with their halachic status [concern of mamzerut due to forgotten halachic marital laws] and they prohibited members of other communities to wed descendants of Bene Israel. However, most of the rabbis of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate permitted them to marry Jewish spouses without any restrictions.
Leaf, 29.5 cm. Stencil copy of a typewritten leaf. With rabbis' signatures. Good condition, slight wear to paper folds.
