It was another stormy Knesset Interior Committee session as the committee discussed the mikve bill and rejected a revision from MK (Yesh Atid) Aliza Lavie and passed a law in second and third readings. During the meeting Lavie turned to MK Moshe Gafne saying “You know when there was selection among Am Yisrael and you are continuing it”.
The committee passed the bill authored by Gafne despite Lavie’s strong objections. She feels Gafne’s law “anchors discrimination into the law and it is an affront to citizens of Israel and Jews worldwide”.
Gafne introduced the bill to circumvent a High Court ruling and thereby barring all converts from state-run mikvaos. By doing this, he is aware Orthodox converts will be able to use private mikvaos while Reform and Conservative converts will not be able to immerse.
Lavie added “I would like to dissuade the Knesset from legislating laws that will not stand the test of a High Court petition. Can one defend such an unfortunate law? Within nine months they will be building sectoral mikvaos without turning to representatives of the various factions. What is the urgency? What is the rush? Why rush this way for it affects people from immigrating to Israel?”
Committee Chairman MK David Amsellem told Lavie the bill was not being voted on but just the revision, which was rejected 7 to 4.
Before adjourning the meeting, Amsellem turned to Lavie and instructed her to retract the remark she made to Gafne about selection or he would file an official complaint with the Knesset Ethics Committee. He explained such an unacceptable low level is not acceptable in Knesset.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
what did the bill say?
Glad to see the Knesset committees have solved all the other problems in the country. It’s much ado about nothing. As if the multitude of reform “converts” are lining up to dip in a mikveh. Still can’t understand why some reformers want to follow Orthodox conversion rules and use a mikveh that is constructed according to Orthodox laws. Why don’t they build reform mikvaos (i.e., swimming pools) and clamor in the courts to be recognized as a “legitimate stream” of mikvaos?
Some have commented tongue in cheek that MK Gafni should try to pass a law REQUIRING all converts to immerse in a mikveh (an “orthodox” one!) and then the reformers and their supporters would turn to the courts to overturn that “descriminatory” law and EXEMPT converts from the obligation to immerse in a mikveh. The whole thing is utterly childish.
“Why don’t they build”
In the US, many Conservative groups have been building kosher mikvaot. I don’t know how much they are used, though.
In Israel you could always immerse in the Mediterranean.