The following statement was released by a spokesman for the Chief Rabbinate of Israel in the name of Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita. The rav is responding to the Supreme Court ruling permitting non-Orthodox conversions in Israel.
“The unfortunate decision to allow the Reform and Conservative to toivel in mikvaos designed for the general public is outrageous. The Reform undermine the Jewish identity of the State of Israel and only use halacha when it is convenient for them.
“The court may not with one hand satisfy the desires of a small handful and with the other deliver a devastating blow to tens of thousands of Jews interested in Jewish life in line with halacha and continuing to maintain the true Jewish identity of the state”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
How the world has changed under our noses!!
Some three and a half decades ago, similar forces attempted to push Begin to change the laws of Geirus in Israel.
His abrupt rebuttal : GeiruT is Halachah, and Halachah is the prerogative of the Poskei HaDor!!
Chareidim Threatening to Establish Parallel Giyur System
(Sunday, March 10th, 2013 01:30 PM)
The idea is that Israel as a democracy can give equal rights to its citizens about things outside the sphere of religion, but since it was also established as a state for Jews it originally committed to abiding by one standard fur public Jewish life policy, that being the “orthodox” halachik one, to be decided by rabbinic authorities. One standard! This subterfuge has been tried before. The Lubavitcher Rebbe ztzl carried on an aggressive campaign to fight it back in the 70s. Anyone old enough remember “mi hu yehudi?” So, can this be appealed, fought vigorously, and overturned?
“Chareidim Threatening to Establish Parallel Giyur System”
Actually there already exist independent charedi beit dins that do illegal conversions in Israel. I know someone who was offered one by such a beit din that was run by a prominent charedi gedol. She ended up converting instead in America by a beit din run by a different prominent charedi gedol and now lives in a charedi community in Israel.
I’m glad I hear Rabbi Yosef speaking out.
It is discouraging to me that he seems to be one of the few lonely voices from all our leaders speaking against the Reformers.
This might be the beginning stages of the actualisation of the chazal that says: in yemos hamashiah we will no longer accept geirim!
This ruling is for public Mikvaous. Jews should declare no longer will public Mivaous be used for conversion only private Mivaous. That will meet the Supreme Courts equality issue.
What is amazing is the Reform and Conservative do not have their own mikvaos. Not in Aretz and not in Chuz-LaAretz.