Interestingly, while some organizations seeking to advance the position of women, many involving women from the dati leumi community, are opposed to the platform of the Yahadut Hatorah party, Bayit Yehudi is signaling its support for the mikve bill being initiated by MK Moshe Gafne. The bill is an attempt to circumvent a High Court decision that instructs the state-run mikve in Beersheva to permit a Reform convert toivel in the presence of a Reform beis din. Gafne’s bill would place exclusive authority over state-run mikvaos in the hands of the nation’s religious councils and prohibit toiveling for converts of all streams, including Orthodox – thereby eliminating any shouts of discrimination. Gafne realizes frum giyorim can easily find a private mikve to toivel.

Rabbi Dr. Seth Farber, founder of ITIM, has filed a petition with the Supreme Court to permit women wishing to toivel in Chief Rabbinate mikvaos throughout Israel to do so without the presence of a balanit as part of their right to privacy. He is among the loud voice of opposition in the dati leumi community against Gafne’s bill.

Some three weeks ago, when Bayit Yehudi expressed backing for the bill, Rav Farber approached the dati leumi party, requesting it retract its support for the bill. He sent a letter to MKs Moti Yogev, Betzalel Smotrich, Shuli Muallem and Nissim Slomiansky. Farber fears the bill will harm primarily religious women despite being presented as being anti-Reform and it will shut the door of the struggle to permit women to immerse in the absence of a balanit.

Farber adds that the party is also contradicting itself for in the previous Knesset, in his capacity as Deputy Minister of Religious Services, Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan supported permitting women to toivel without a balanit present.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)