Sanhedrin to be re-established in Tiberius

Ma'ariv - Uri Glickman and Avishai Ben-Haim
http://www.maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=printArticle&articleID=11302

The Jewish "Supreme Court" that operated 1,500 years ago to resume operation. However, new institution not supported by most important rabbis.

For the first time since the days of the Mishna and the Talmud in the fifth century, the Sanhedrin will be re-established in Tiberius.

After secretive preparations that lasted for over a year, the Sanhedrin -- the Jewish "Supreme Court" that consisted of 71 Torah sages -- will resume its operation after 1,500 years. The modern council will consist of dozens of rabbis who are to rule on Halachaic issues and draft new Jewish rules.

According to the organizers, the event will be an historic occasion and it will change the map of the Halacha and religion in Israel. They added that the council would also debate political issues.

However, sources in the religious sector said that the new initiative should be treated with skepticism, since the most important rabbis, such as Rabbi Ovadia Yossef and Rabbi Yossef Elyashiv, do not support it.

Other religious sources said that the influence the new Sanhedrin will have all depends on the makeup of its rabbis. If important rabbis would support it or be part of it, the new institution could very well, according to the sources, revolutionize religious life in Israel.

Attempts to re-establish a Sanhedrin had been made in the past, for instance after the establishment of the state. However, that initiative was rejected by the ultra-Orthodox.