The test books of sixty candidates for Rabbinic ordination were lost during the marking process following a test on the Jewish laws of marriage.
In the months that followed, the candidates claimed they had not received their grades, and the matter dragged into a prolonged saga of searches and negotiations among the various parties.
The issue was brought to Rabbi Kalman Bar, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, who proposed several options, including an oral exam and passing all candidates, but these proposals did not pass legal scrutiny.
Finally, after discussions in the Municipal Rabbis Committee chaired by Rabbi Yaakov Shapira and legal consultation, an official letter was sent to the candidates from the Rabbinate's Examinations Department, stating that a retake exam had been scheduled, at no cost: "Following the exams in which you were tested on laws of marriage, we wish to inform you that due to a malfunction in the transportation of the exam notebooks we were unable to complete the grading process as required."
"After extensive discussions in the Municipal Rabbis Committee and the legal office of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, it was decided to summon the candidates for a retake exam, with understanding and consideration that the previous exam was held about a year ago."