The Knesset Law Committee on Monday 17 Adar I 5774 passed a bill seeking to facilitate the giyur process. If passed into law, the bill will permit any civil service rav of a city or IDF Chief Rabbi who is a certified dayan conduct private giyur. The bill was initiated by Bayit Yehudi.
Speaking to radio host Razi Barkai on Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) was MK Elazar Stern, who praised the passing of the bill by the committee. Stern explained “Yes, we are looking for a more lenient giyur, to simplify the process. The chief rabbis are simply cut off from reality. Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef’s son or grandchildren will not marry such people in any event.”
Stern expressed outrage that there are some rabbonim who object to Rabbi David Stav conducting giyur when the rabbi serves as chief rabbi of a city and is a certified dayan by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
Stern explains that there are 100,000 young men and women who arrived under Law of Return and they are listed as non-Jews. There are many who have given up and no longer hope to become Jews and this is what concerns him. He feels Bayit Yehudi does not really understand the severity of the matter at hand and he feels the system’s attitude towards potential giyorim is abhorrent.
Deputy Minister of Religious Services Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan followed Stern, speaking on Galei Tzahal to explain. Barkai asked Rabbi Ben-Dahan “Why can’t you connect with him based on what he said?”
Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan
There are many issues that I can indeed connect [with Stern] however the Chief Rabbinate is not the source of the problem as he believes. The Law of Return is a welcome and blessed law but there are issues.
Barkai
Is Stav a Halachic Authority in your eyes?
Ben-Dahan
Yes, definitely.
I worked on the bill as many hours as MK Stern or more since I feel this is a national obligation for us, to assist any and all who wish to become Jews. No one can guarantee that his bill will result in an increase in the number of those wishing to become giyorim.
There is no one who comes to the system who is sent away. The main problem is those who do not come. Stern blames the rabbonim for chasing them away. Perhaps he is correct and perhaps not. I suggest continue legislating the law but including the input of the Chief Rabbis of Israel, the heads of the system, those responsible for giyur in Israel.
If we push a law that is opposed by the chief rabbis then the converts will not be accepted and they are the ones who will suffer the most. My goal is to perform giyur in a system that is recognized.
MK Stern
The chief rabbinate must understand that enough is enough. They can either work with us towards meeting the needs and if not, we will establish an alternative system for marriage, giyur and kashrus and the Chief Rabbinate can become an institution for those seeking a job.
Rabbi Ben-Dahan
Only paragraphs of the bill approved by the Chief Rabbinate were passed in committee today. Other portions of the bill must be worked out.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Israeli government “converts” are null and void and meaningless and without any effect.
A True kosher Giyur according to HALACHA MUST BE FOR THE TRUE DEVOTION TO HASHEM! Torah should NEVER BE DEFINED BY KNESSET MEMBERS or ANY government officials! The Rabbanim must have full authority
to interpert Halacha and so this move is a STRONG ARROGANT MOVE AGAINST
THE TORAH and HASHEM. The time has come to get a certain certification via
an orthodox association just like we have the BADATZ privately and not via the government , who is Jewish and having a family tree for each one that wants to have a Jewish certificate . In this way when a shidduch takes place next generation both parties will have this stamp and they will be assured that they are Jews Yehudim according to orthodoxy. It is vital for the next generation to minimize hitbolelut,assimilation or marrying a person that is really not Jewish.
What makes this a “lenient” bill?
Where does it say in halacha that only the Chief Rabbi can convert someone? It clearly says in the article that a dayan will now have the authority to convert. That’s certainly how it’s here in the US.