Chief Rabbinate Denies Ties to 'We Are Techelet' NGO Claiming Cooperation

The Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Ministry of Religious Services issued a joint statement on Sunday clarifying that the NGO "We Are Techelet" is not affiliated with them. This clarification follows social media and media reports where the NGO claimed to operate in full cooperation with the Chief Rabbinate. The official bodies emphasized that no authorization or certification has been granted to the NGO, and it has no institutional connection with the Chief Rabbinate or the Ministry.

The statement also warned the public against relying on any private organizations, associations, or NGOs that present themselves as acting on behalf of or in partnership with the Chief Rabbinate without official approval. A key point highlighted was that marriage registration in Israel is conducted exclusively through regional Rabbinical offices and official systems. No private entity or NGO is authorized to perform marriage registration on behalf of the Rabbinate.

The Ministry and Rabbinate urged couples seeking to register their marriages to contact the official regional Rabbinical offices directly and to exercise caution when dealing with groups claiming to represent the Rabbinate without formal certification. This announcement aims to protect the public from misinformation and unauthorized services related to religious marriage registration.