(JNS.org) The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) said it has reached a “historic” deal with the Israeli Rabbinate on determining the “Jewishness” of Jewish immigrants to Israel. The agreement between RCA, the largest organization of Orthodox rabbis in America, and the Israeli Rabbinate comes following a controversy over the refusal of the Israeli Rabbinate to recognize the conversions of Rabbi Avi Weiss, an RCA member. The new agreement allows individual RCA rabbis to prepare “Jewish status letters” on Jews who seek to immigrate to Israel. Those letters will then be immediately recognized by the Israeli Rabbinate.