The Supreme Court recently ruled that the Beersheva Religious Council must permit a Reform Movement convert to toivel in the city’s mikve in front of a Reform Beis Din.
Seeking to circumvent the court, MK Moshe Gafne introduced a bill that bans all converts from toiveling in state-run mikvaos, aware of the fact frum converts will easily find a private mikve to use. Gafne’s bill, which is currently being debated by legislators, also compels state-run mikvaos to comply with regulations from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
Seeking to find a solution to accommodate the Reform and Conservative Movements, the Jewish Agency is going to build four mikvaos for the them. According to Channel 2 News correspondent Daphne Li’al, an understanding was reached that will permit passing Gafne’s bill as well as the Jewish Agency building the mikvaos for the Reform and Conservative. They will operate outside of the state-run system and therefore they will not be subordinate to the Chief Rabbinate and its religious councils.
Speaking to the Kol Chai Radio, MK Moshe Gafne explained he will oppose the construction of these mikvaos, which he calls a farce. He explains in the United States the Reform Movement, which has no issue with finances, can do as it pleases and it has not built a single mikve since they have no use for it.
MK (Likud) David Amsellem, who chairs the Knesset Interior Committee, spoke with Mordechai Lavi of Kol Chai Radio. He explains the Reform have no problem raising the funds to build mikvaos but they want the state to do it for this too is de-facto recognition of the Reform Movement and that is what this is about, not funding.
Gafne added the chareidim will never compromise or recognize Reform Jewry.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem/ Published on Isru Chag Shavuos in Israel)
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4 Responses
This would be funny if it weren’t so sad. Who exactly is going to build mikvaos for the Reform movement? The lamdonim from their seminary? The ones who don’t even know what a page of gemara looks like? Much less Tur, Shulchan Aruch, etc. They’ll build a little swimming pool that might look something like a mikva and they’ll call it a Reform mikva. It’s time to finally acknowledge that Reform is a different religion distinct from Judaism.
Resho’im arurim.
Did the head of the Jewish Agency (Natan Sharansky) sit in jail in the USSR so that there should not be a JEWISH State?
Would his wife use such a mikveh?
Why don’t the reform just do what they do here? Lie to your convert. Tell them there is no kosher mikvah, and then use the pool at the JCC. Problem solved.