Every community needs a way to protect people who have been wronged and to resolve disputes fairly. The Torah calls on the community to appoint judges.
The Yerushalaim Movement is building a community whose members accept a Torah-based judicial framework in advance. This creates an agreed process backed by the members’ commitment, rather than relying solely on goodwill once a dispute has already begun.
Once a dispute begins, even people who prefer Torah adjudication may disagree over which Beit Din should hear it. One party may also refuse to take part.
Joining in advance establishes a mutual commitment and an agreed referral process. Members have a framework to turn to, instead of having to agree on the process itself in the middle of a dispute.
Taking a particular dispute to a Beit Din concerns the resolution of that case. Appointing judges is a broader communal responsibility: establishing a judicial framework with authority.
The movement seeks to fulfil that responsibility through an advance commitment to its judicial system, participation in choosing spiritual leadership and shared funding.
A judicial system is a shared communal responsibility, not only a service for people who currently have a dispute. It provides a framework that protects those who are wronged and supports fair relationships.
Members help establish, authorise and fund that framework even when they do not personally need it. An agreed commitment may also help prevent disputes.
The commitment members make has value even when others have not yet joined. Each new member expands the community of people who share a commitment to Torah adjudication.
The vision develops gradually. As more members, rabbis and communities take part, the movement can extend its work and serve a wider public.
Reaching an agreement is preferable. The movement therefore begins by seeking mediation and a mutually agreed resolution.
When agreement is not possible, an accepted judicial process offers a way forward instead of leaving a dispute unresolved or allowing the stronger party to prevail. Its purpose is to promote justice and peace, and the commitment itself may help prevent conflict.
The movement works with existing monetary Batei Din rather than seeking to replace them. It adds three elements:
The movement’s rabbis appoint the judicial presidency. If both parties agree on a Beit Din, they can proceed within the framework of their agreement.
If they cannot agree, each party chooses a dayan from the judicial presidency. Those two dayanim agree on a Beit Din suited to the dispute, so the choice is not left to one party alone.
Complete the dispute submission form with the claimant’s and respondent’s details. The form is for a movement member bringing a dispute against another member.
The movement’s team will contact you and guide you through the process. Mediation and an agreed resolution are sought first. If that is unsuccessful, the selection and referral procedure is used to proceed to a Beit Din.
Yes. This framework is based on the commitment made by movement members who have signed the arbitration agreement.
One person’s membership does not, by itself, bind someone who has not accepted the agreement. Its applicability and terms must be considered in relation to the parties and the dispute.
Yes. Joining includes signing an arbitration agreement, not simply expressing support for an idea. That agreement defines the system’s authority and the parties’ commitments.
The commitment is implemented under the agreement and the Arbitration Law. Where applicable, the courts can assist through procedures provided by law, including confirmation of an arbitral award. This does not mean every application is granted automatically.
You can review the Arbitration Law (Hebrew) and membership documents, or contact the movement about a specific case.
The system deals with matters that may lawfully be submitted to arbitration and fall within the dayanim’s halachic authority. These include civil and monetary disputes, but the scope is not determined solely by whether a disagreement is labelled financial.
Not every matter can be arbitrated. This process does not replace criminal proceedings, and halacha also limits the dayanim’s authority. Contact the team to establish whether a particular dispute falls within the agreement.
No. It operates within the Arbitration Law, which allows parties to resolve eligible disputes through arbitration in accordance with their agreement and the law.
The aim is to give members an agreed, lawful framework for Torah adjudication. The process operates alongside the civil courts and can make use of the procedures the law provides.
You may cancel your standing order. The movement’s membership materials state that membership expires within three months, in accordance with the membership agreement.
Cancelling payment does not immediately cancel obligations already created under that agreement, and is not a way to avoid an existing dispute.
Please contact the movement’s office to clarify the end date and any continuing obligations.
The organisation holds Section 46 approval under the Income Tax Ordinance, as stated on our donation page.
For a receipt, a current certificate or clarification about a particular payment, please contact the movement’s office. Eligibility depends on the payment, the approval and the applicable rules.
According to the halachic guidance in the movement’s materials, the basic membership contribution of NIS 20 per month fulfils a communal obligation to fund the judicial system and should not be paid from maaser funds.
An additional donation beyond the membership contribution may be paid from maaser funds under that guidance. Ask your rabbi about your individual circumstances.
The leadership brings together community rabbis, heads of yeshivot and rabbis from different traditions. Each member chooses the rabbi who represents them, giving the public a role in shaping the spiritual leadership and appointing the judicial framework.
Visit the movement’s rabbis page to learn about them and read their contributions.
The initiative seeks to complement existing Torah institutions through a communal framework for resolving disputes according to Torah, within the scope permitted by halacha and law.
Its work is supported by the rabbis who participate in its leadership and by the arbitration agreement accepted by members. Information about the participating rabbis is available on the movement’s website.
The movement aims to bring people and rabbis from different communities together around a shared commitment to Torah, justice and peace. It is not intended for one religious stream alone.
Community rabbis and heads of yeshivot who meet the leadership criteria are invited to take part. Allowing each member to choose their rabbi supports broad communal participation.
Jewish communities maintained Batei Din to which the community granted authority, alongside shared responsibility for supporting the dayanim and sustaining communal life.
The Yerushalaim Movement seeks to carry that principle into present-day Israeli society through broad spiritual leadership, an agreed commitment and a lawful arbitration framework. Its vision is to develop Torah institutions with a wider communal reach.
The name expresses the connection between justice, peace and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Isaiah links the restoration of judges with Jerusalem’s future as a city of justice.
The judicial system seeks to put that connection into practice through a framework for fair, agreed adjudication that promotes peace and advances that vision.
The organisation originally operated as Beit Midrash Yeshivati, running community study centres. In the Hebrew year 5769, a Beit Din was appointed for internal matters, with participants accepting it in advance as an arbitrator for disputes.
Preparations for a conference in 5777 revealed interest beyond the original group. The community was opened to the wider public as Shalom Yerushalaim, and the organisation adopted the name Yerushalaim Movement to connect its projects around bringing Torah values into communal life.
