The London Beth Din is the Ashkenazi Beth Din of the United Synagogue, the largest Ashkenazi synagogal body in London, England. In its capacity as Court of the Chief Rabbi, it is historically the supreme halakhic Authority for Ashkenazim in several Commonwealth countries and additionally is consulted by Batei Din throughout Europe.
The range of questions with which the Beth Din deals is vast and covers all areas of Jewish law. Some of the specialist areas covered by the Beth Din are:
halakhic authority for the Kashrut Division, for "KLBD" kosher labellingthe authorisation and supervision of mohelimthe supervision of mikvehsthe supervision of Orthodox conversionsconstruction, supervision and maintenance of the North West London and the Borehamwood Eruvquestions relating to burial and mourningsupervising the activity of the Marriage Education programmeadvising on legislation which may affect Jewish religious practicedealing with a wide range of halakhic problems posed by the rabbanim of the United Synagogue and provincial communitiesthe examination of Shochetim and the control of the shechita InspectorsThe London Beth Din retains a research unit which employs the services of a professional genealogist in order to assist in enquiries as to whether a person is Jewish.
The present membership (2015) of the London Beth Din is:
Av Beth Din – the Chief Rabbi, Ephraim MirvisRosh Beth Din - Dayan Menachem GelleyDayan Yonoson AbrahamDayan Ivan BinstockDayan Shmuel SimonsRabbi Jeremy Conway – Kashrut DirectorThe Registrar is David Frei (also the External and Legal Services Director of the United Synagogue)
Dayan Yehezkel AbramskyDayan Aryeh Leib Grosnass (Lev Aryeh)Dayan Avrohom Rapoport (Be'er Avrohom)Dayan Dr Isidor Grunfeld (famed for his translations of the writings of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch)Dayan Shmuel Yitzchak HillmanDayan Casriel Dovid KaplinDayan LazarusDayan Meyer SteinbergDayan Dr. Myer S. LewDayan Yitzchak Berger (currently Av Beth Din of the Manchester Beth Din)Dayan Chanoch Ehrentreu (retired 2007)