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This website is about the re-established Jewish Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin is the name given in the mishna to the council of seventy-one Jewish sages who constituted the supreme court and legislative body in Judea during the Roman period. It continued to function for more than four hundred years after the destruction of the Temple and there have been several orthodox attempts to re-establish it since that time. The current attempt to re-establish the Sanhedrin is generally referred to as the "nascent Sanhedrin", or the "developing Sanhedrin".

Etymologically, Sanhedrin is a late Hebrew representation of the Greek word synedrion συνέδριον meaning "sitting together" as a legislative assembly or Senate. It is interesting to note that several aspects of the U.S. Senate, including the semi-circle seating of the senators, were derived from the Jewish Sanhedrin by the Founding Fathers of the U.S. Constitution. The Jewish Sanhedrin is a governmental body that resembles aspects of both the U.S. Senate and the Supreme Court.

The make-up of the council includes a President - Nasi, Chancellor - Av beis din, and sixty-nine general members who all sit in the form of a semi-circle when in session. Decisions are made by majority vote. The constitution of seventy-one is to preclude the possibility of a tie. Members of the Sanhedrin are not elected, nor is their position permanent. Any scholar, at any time, may gain a place on the legislature by proving a greater level of scholarship in Jewish Law than a current member of the legislature.

New Initiatives of The Sanhedrin

• Korban Pesach (Passover Sacrifice)
• Tzibur Bnei Yisrael

General

• The idea behind the restoration of the Great Court, and the halachic foundations for operation
• Organizational structure of the Sanhedrin
• Current members of the Sanhedrin
• Secular and religious history of the Jewish Sanhedrin

News

• Urgent and important announcements
• The Sanhedrin in the News
• Newly discovered ruins of the Sanhedrin at Tiberias (Spring 2005)
• Archaeological program to explore all ten locations of the Sanhedrin

Legal Discussion

• Legal rulings and opinions to date
• Issues on the agenda to be discussed a future sessions
• Jewish Law - Examining halacha, Jewish Issues and Secular Law
• Articles comparing Jewish Law and American Secular Law
• Qualifications for a Jewish judge and the operation of the Sanhedrin
• Bnei Noah, the Sanhedrin's relationship with non-Jews
• Response to Daat Emet publications

Contacting the Sanhedrin

• Contact Information
• How can you help?
• "Friends of the Sanhedrin" Online Community Forums
• Related links
• About this website