The Rabbinical organization Tzohar has commented on reports from Army Radio that couples from Ethiopia were not allowed to register for marriage in Petah Tikvah and were instead sent to other parts of the country.
"We are shocked. There are no other words to describe the embarrassment and the shame that this process has caused over the past months to dozens of couples who only wanted to register for marriage near their homes," an official statement read.
"This is not the first time that this Rabbinate has mistreated couples coming to properly register with them, and we have already seen additional cases in which the same Petah Tikvah Rabbinate did not accept the Chief Rabbinate's conversions and ignored the guidelines. We in Tzohar will consider opening a branch for registering marriages in Petah Tikvah that will serve all the couples in the region."