U.S. Rabbis Blast Israel Over Immigration Policy For Converts

By Michele Chabin
Religion News Service

JERUSALEM -- Nearly 100 American Orthodox rabbis have signed a letter demanding that the conversions they perform outside Israel be recognized -- at least for immigration purposes -- by Israel's Interior Ministry.

The rabbis -- including members of the Rabbinical Council of America, the Orthodox Union, Yeshiva University and the International Rabbinic Fellowship -- were caught off guard by an article in the New York Jewish Week that said the ministry had empowered Israel's Chief Rabbinate to scrutinize the Jewishness of Orthodox converts.

Although the Rabbinate, which has sole authority over Jewish marriage in Israel, began to scrutinize Orthodox converts who wanted to marry under its auspices a few years ago, it had not previously had decision-making power on immigration issues.

In their letter delivered Tuesday (Feb. 22), the U.S. rabbis said they are "concerned" that some of the conversions performed under their auspices are being questioned.

"Recent reports that the Interior Ministry is consulting with the Israeli Chief Rabbinate are disturbing," the rabbis wrote. "We find this unacceptable, and turn to you in an effort to insure that those individuals whom we convert will automatically be eligible for (immigration to Israel) as they have been in the past."

In a statement, Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Jewish Agency, a quasi-governmental body that facilitates the immigration of Diaspora Jews, asked the Israeli government "to consult with us on deciding which communities are normative communities."

The Rabbinate automatically recognizes only those conversions performed by special conversion courts in a handful of large, established Jewish communities.

"One must differentiate between Halacha (Jewish law) and the Law of Return," Sharansky said, referring to the immigration law that permits overseas converts from various streams as well as anyone who can prove they had a Jewish grandparent to immigrate.

Rabbi Seth Farber, an American-born Orthodox rabbi in Israel who helped spearhead the rabbis' letter, said Interior Ministry officials "don't understand the landscape of North American Jewry. They believe that the Chief Rabbinate is the central authority of Orthodox
communities around the world, but this is inaccurate."

Farber, the director of ITIM, an organization that often advocates for converts, called it "ironic" that the most religious converts are coming under scrutiny while Reform and Conservative converts are not.

"We believe in the unity of the Jewish people and we're prepared to fight this in court," Farber said.

Comments

[MAlas]

07:11 PM on 03/01/2011

The Dome of the Rock is simply breathtaking...its completes the scenario

[hello All]

08:30 AM on 03/01/2011

Law of return?

That explains the dropping population of Jews from other countries.

[Zofomofo]

12:21 AM on 03/01/2011

Religion is a passive-aggressive manifestation, of elitist, "chosen" superiority.
You can't join our club, we are closer to god than you.
We evolved but are still just pack-animals plsslng on the corners of our property.

[daviduk]

10:14 AM on 03/01/2011

Is it?.............That's an opinion not fact as you are only to quick to point out to others.

[Zofomofo]

02:59 PM on 03/02/2011

Study a bit of anthropological mythology and get back to me.

[El Superbeasto]

09:05 PM on 02/27/2011

Israel totally does not sound like a theocracy.

[Zanubiyah]

11:16 AM on 02/27/2011

When the 'law of return' means to denounce any former citizenship to any nation...friendly to Israel or not, we will see the seriousness of those convertions.

In this case, I agree with the Israeli government...but dont get used to it.

In fact...no public official, or any 'want to be citizen' of any nation should hold allegience to any other nation, other than his or her own, and should have to denounce ANY citizenship except that in which they are sworn to uphold the will of the people.

[Zofomofo]

12:22 AM on 03/01/2011

WHY? Why must I denounce anything to be your brother?
Is it because you are a pack-animal?

[Zanubiyah]

07:23 PM on 03/01/2011

My brother? You must have me mistaken for a hippy...lol.

[BlackYowe]

10:48 PM on 02/25/2011

Most Israelis only except money from American Jews they do not see them as equals or even as Jews. You can prove your Jewish lineage to the Rabis there and they still do not except you as Jewish.

http://life.nationalpost.com/2010/07/23/critics-fear-proposed-israeli-bill-would-end-law-of-return/

[Sam Bark]

12:02 AM on 02/26/2011

Blackyowe-- I find your comment to be derogatory….. before making such offending comment, and relying on a fringe mag and reporter, learn a bit about the real life and complexity of the question rather then simplistically put Israel down… No country is absolutely JUST or anyone person is prefect, so take a pill for humility and learn the issue before showing your hate…..

[BlackYowe]

05:04 AM on 02/26/2011

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2010-11-01-jewish31_ST_N.htm

[BlackYowe]

05:15 AM on 02/26/2011

No hate here. My sister in Law is Jewish from Yonkers. She would not be considered Jewish by most Israelis. They do not except the American reformed movement as legitimate.

[Sam Bark]

09:37 PM on 02/25/2011

Sorry to read some of the comments here by many opinionated posters here, who think their opinion is more important than that of Israel citizens --- Democracy, or more correctly REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY is THE RULE of freely elected representatives by the State citizens, ONE PERSON ONE VOTE.
It is not a fair constitution with bill of rights, that many countries had but hardly follow, including the USA, or system of laws like Britain, or whatever stupid books’ claim it to be, or what you read in the biased papers. Everyone has his subjective opinion including this comment, however, the basic idea is still what the citizens of Israel voted, one vote to each person, in orderly manner and in a fair way to choose their representatives!
You do NOT need to like it, the US rabbis do not need to like it, they live in the US regardless of being orthodox or reformed, and no one in Israel cares about their opinions or yours or mine. IT IS WHAT ISRAEL’s CITIZENS ELECTED, who composed its government and determined its policy and actions. If the citizens of Israel do NOT like that policy, they are free to elect other representatives of their liking. So curb your enthusiasm and bashing and DON’T be that arrogant to think YOU KNOW BETTER then them….. and as long as they acting within the norm of ethics and preserving the rights of the inhabitants, It is their life and their country!

[Nwo2012]

04:15 PM on 02/26/2011

Israel Rabbis don't represent Israelis. Theres nothing democratic about them. They certainly don't represent world Jewry.

[jerryny]

01:18 AM on 02/27/2011

We are arrogant? How about WE stop giving them 3 billion a year, every year. Talk about arrogant! Complaining about THEIR arrogance in defining who is or isn't Jewish but holding their hands out for our money.

[yoyo1900]

01:51 PM on 03/09/2011

I totally agree with you. As a prospective convert in the Reform tradition it is sad how the Orthdox treat the Reform Jews. Most of the ultra-orthdox jews in Israel don't work and are suppoted by the state. All they do is study Talmud and Torah.

[dpavsek]

08:28 PM on 02/25/2011

Too bad Israel didn't learn from the country that first recognized it that Religion and Government don't mix. The great contribution of the US to government is the insistance on the separation of church and state. True we are not perfect in this matter, but we work at it. If Israel recognized the difference between being a believer and a citizen these problems wouldn't surface. Theocracies, in my opinion, should not exist in today's world. Just look at Iran.

[magedfoxx]

08:24 PM on 02/25/2011

But I thought there was a bit of Israel in all of us?

[magedfoxx]

08:14 PM on 02/25/2011

Explain to me , again, why Israel is a democracy?

[BobVADemHawk]

08:24 PM on 02/25/2011

Because they have fair elections. The majority of Israelis have elected officials that share their views. It really is that simple.

[magedfoxx]

08:33 PM on 02/25/2011

no, it is not.

read some books or take some college courses.

[Magic 62]

08:39 PM on 02/25/2011

Israel is not all that different from Iran. There are plenty of political parties with various views from liberal to conservative, as long as they all believe in Zionism. In Iran it's Islamic ideals. Israel gives some token seats in the Ksenet to Arab Israelis, just like Iran gives a few seats to Jewish, Christian and Zoroastrian communities in her Parliament.

[magedfoxx]

08:12 PM on 02/25/2011

So France will not be sending Israel a Statue of Liberty?

[science teacher]

08:57 PM on 02/25/2011

Mirage fighters.

[Magic 62]

09:11 PM on 02/25/2011

Not anymore. Interesting that you say that. In the 60s, all of Israel's weapons, Mirage-3 fighters, Jericho-I missile and its nuclear reactor from France.

[Sam Bark]

11:54 PM on 02/26/2011

magedfoxx -- Please ask the 'bettes noir" what they think about France....

[magedfoxx]

03:12 AM on 02/27/2011

i did not know......

[QuakerJewish]

07:10 PM on 02/25/2011

Israel does not exist in a vacum and all Jews do not chose to live in Israel. All policies of any nation are the concern of all other peoples and the UN without exeption. Human and political rights are the business of everyone, everywhere.
That includes those of the US as well. Sorry, but we are all inhabitants of one planet, all children of the same God, whether you like it or not. If we forever disagree on this, so be it.

[BobVADemHawk]

07:40 PM on 02/25/2011

Then we must forever disagree because while your argument sounds lovely, in a sixties hippie fashionable sort of way, it is not reality. Humanity has come a long way in the past seven millenia of recorded history but, still has a long way to go. Perhaps one day we'll achieve that utopian vision of yours but, it will not be in this century and probably not for some centuries to come.

[QuakerJewish]

08:15 PM on 02/25/2011

My statement was regarding our freedom to THINK and SAY what we want, to form our OWN opinions on any subject we care to, regardless of what nation, policy, incident, or event, idea we are talking about. I have no idea where you went with that to some hippy utopia concept ??? Free thought existed long before any hippie put a flower in their hair.

I think you completely lost what I said, it went completely over your head. So, what are you going to do to stop my thinking that. Nothing. There is nothing you can do. My thinking is beyond your control. You can not tell what not to think or speak about. That is my point.

Our thinking and our concerns have no borders, and we can speak and care all we want about anything we want, anywhere we want and there is nothing you can do to stop us.

[Zofomofo]

12:30 AM on 03/01/2011

"sixties, hippie, fashionable way"

Wow, you swallow buzz words like a trained dog.

You did even hear what she said.

[science teacher]

09:01 PM on 02/25/2011

Interpret children of God to mean inheritors of a common evolutionary heritage and I'm with you.

We are all in the same boat (Earth).

[QuakerJewish]

03:05 AM on 02/26/2011

That would be my Quaker interpretation. We are a religion of the englightenment, not the desert.

[BobVADemHawk]

05:24 PM on 02/25/2011

This is an internal matter of the nation of Israel and should be left to such. That's what they hold elections for in Israel.

[QuakerJewish]

05:59 PM on 02/25/2011

But this is not an internal affair. This affects Jews worldwide, and not just those who convert. This is not limited to just Israel, and it certaintly is not why Israel has elections, in fact, it has nothing directly to do with elections at all.
As for discussing it, we are all free to discuss anything we wish, Jewish or not.

[BobVADemHawk]

06:51 PM on 02/25/2011

While I cannot argue with the last sentence of your post, the rest I can. Israel is more than capable of electing its leaders; leaders with the power to change the law as they see fit in keeping with Israeli law. It is Israeli citizens who vote in said elections therefore, it is an internal matter of Israel. The U.S. does not approve every immigration application nor should it. The same would apply for Israel or any other nation for that matter. Who are we to tell another nation how to handle their immigration policy? The U.S. and U.N. should mind its own business in this affair.

[Sam Bark]

10:30 PM on 02/25/2011

QJ -- you are wrong, this is an internal affair of Israel, you do NOT like it, DO NOT live there, it is Israel citizens' choice not US Jewish Rabbis' dictate.

[science teacher]

09:11 PM on 02/25/2011

Not as long as they hold the position that only they can interpret who is a Jew.

The right of return was developed so any Jew facing persecution could go to Israel for asylum.

Many persons considered Jewish under the Nuremberg laws would not be able to enter Israel today.

Anti-Semites don't seem to follow the same rules that the Orthodox commissions in Israel do in determining who is Jewish.

Understandably, Jewish communities outside of Israel have some concerns with the limitations placed by the commission.

Reform and Conservative Jews especially.

[Clare53]

03:51 PM on 02/25/2011

Blah, blah, blah. A Jew's a Jew.

[blev28]

04:12 PM on 02/25/2011

if someone isnt a jew, and all of a sudden say, i want to be a jew,
YOU ARE NOT A JEW

there are conversion rules and ,most of the people on this forum are assuming that judaism is like Christianity.

A true conversion is a many-month long process
and not everyone follows this process, hence, an invalid conversion

[nypoet22]

05:21 PM on 02/25/2011

i've always felt that jewishness has been more of a nationality than a religion, even before 1948. consider some of the same generally accepted properties when applied to US citizenship: you can be a US citizen by birth, and you can't lose it unless you actively choose to give it up. no matter where you are born or whether you do anything american, if your parents are both citizens, so are you. you can also be naturalized, but it takes a long time, requires the study of language, history and customs, and is subject to official review.

[magedfoxx]

08:31 PM on 02/25/2011

WHY WOULD I SAY THAT???

[Sam Bark]

10:32 PM on 02/25/2011

clares63 -- This is not your decision to make, excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me.

[QuakerJewish]

03:26 AM on 02/26/2011

This is not your call to decide who decision it is to make. I already decided it mine to make.

[QuakerJewish]

03:28 AM on 02/26/2011

My mother, her mother and so on and so on are/were Jewish. I am not affected, but will not stand to let some bigoted OLD men from another age decide such things. Its not their place to play pope of the Jews.