Chairman for the Jewish Agency of Israel Natan Sharansky, who advocates strong ties between Israel and the Reform and Conservative Movements, responded angrily to the Chief Rabbinate Supreme Beis Din ruling pertaining to a woman converted to Judaism by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein.
The Supreme Beis Din heard the appeal of a woman whose giyur was not accepted by the Petach Tikvah Beis Din. The Supreme Beis Din called on the woman to do a ‘giyur l’chumra’, not accepting the giyur of prominent US Modern Orthodox Rav, Rabbi Haskel Lookstein.
Sharansky explains the decision of the beis din in essence delegitimizes a prominent US Orthodox rabbi, questioning how the dayanim reached this decision. Sharansky calls on the Government of Israel to take immediate steps to change the attitude of state religious agencies vis-à-vis Diaspora Jewry.
It is added that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel following the Supreme Beis Din decision emphasized it does indeed accept giyur performed by Rabbi Lookstein, pointing out this case is unique and not to be viewed as a statement against Rabbi Lookstein’s conversions.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
2 Responses
With all due respect to Natan Sharansky his knowledge of the Halocos of Giyur are a bit less then the Rabbanut. And if they have decided not to accept Haskel Lookstein, who embodies true modern orthodoxy and is known to be very lenient in these cases, he needs to accept it no matter how it may look to the rest of the world.Ki MiTzion Tezei Torah UdVar Hashem M’Yerushalim Giyur, divorce, and certain other things can not done by just every rabbi. There is a need for talmeidei chachomim who are knowledgable in thes things. With all due respect to Rabbi Lookstein he should probabley stick to waht he is good at, collecting money.
Who is he to have an opinion on a pure halachic issue?
Be’ikvesa dimeshicha chutzpa yasgey