Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger called for the creation of a central database tracking Jewish lineage while speaking at the World Conference on Jewish Civil Law in Jerusalem earlier in the week. “There is a need for a computerized center to gather information on all Jews who marry according to Jewish law,” he explained.
A worldwide database could prevent Jews from accidentally entering forbidden relationships, Metzger said. The database could also make it easier for Jews to prove their Jewish status, he implied, pointing out that current attempts to prove Jewishness are often complicated.