Renewed Sanhedrin
The Renewed Sanhedrin is an unofficial rabbinic body in Israel that seeks to re-establish the ancient Jewish high court to address contemporary halakhic and national challenges.
The Renewed Sanhedrin is a voluntary rabbinic initiative that operates outside the official state-sanctioned Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Its members view the restoration of the Sanhedrin—the supreme religious and judicial body of the Jewish people in antiquity—as a vital step in the process of national redemption and the full realization of Jewish sovereignty. While it lacks legal authority under Israeli law, the body issues rulings and position papers on matters of national importance, ranging from Temple Mount access to the status of lost Jewish communities.
Recently, the group has focused on the humanitarian and halakhic status of the Bnei Anusim (descendants of Jews forced to convert during the Inquisition) in Latin America. In July 2026, the body issued a significant ruling calling on the Israeli government and the Chief Rabbinate to formally recognize these communities. The Sanhedrin argues that these individuals, many of whom maintain Orthodox lifestyles, should be granted a collective aliyah track similar to those established for the Bnei Menashe of India or the Ethiopian Jewish community.
The Renewed Sanhedrin's advocacy highlights a persistent tension between grassroots rabbinic activism and the official state bureaucracy. By pushing for the recognition of hundreds of thousands of potential olim in South America, the group challenges the Interior Ministry to address a decade-long stall in policy regarding the 'descendants of Israel' who seek to return to their ancestral homeland and faith. Its activities reflect a broader movement within the religious-Zionist world to apply traditional Jewish law to the complexities of a modern sovereign state.