 |
| Religious Zionist leader, Rav David Stav says the new court is a necessity |
Conversion to Judaism is currently one of the most
controversial issues facing Orthodoxy. Especially in Israel. The controversy
revolves around what the actual requirements for conversion are. These requirements directly affect over 300,000 Israeli residents who are either
immigrants from the former Soviet Union or their children.
They are not
considered Jewish because of patrilineal descent. Which means that their
mothers are not Jewish. They are
otherwise fully integrated into Israeli society and consider themselves Jewish.
They even serve in the IDF – in many cases risking their lives for their
countrymen. In most cases they are not observant, and have no intention to be.
This is a demographic nightmare for the State of Israel.
As this group continues to grow, it threatens the very nature of the State. It
is very possible that non Jews will outnumber Jews even if we do not consider
Arab growth on the West Bank.
The government solution for this is to make it easier for them by creating special conversion courts that will utilize leniencies and thereby convert many people very quickly. These courts were headed by Rav Chaim Druckman a Religious Zionist religious
leader. The Chief Rabbinate that has increasingly come under the influence of Charedi rabbinic leaders condemned all of those conversions as illegitimate. The problem
they had is that conversion requires acceptance of Mitzvah observance,
something that very few of these Russian immigrant children did, nor had any
intention of doing.
This is the current standard for all conversions. There is however
a minority opinion that allows a conversion without such acceptance. Especially
in cases where the father is Jewish. Which means the convert has Jewish blood
in them through the father even though they are not technically Jewish.
Charedi rabbinic leaders and the current Chief Rabbinate reject
this leniency outright. They do not consider anyone converted this way Jewish.
Religious Zionist leaders who are deeply concerned about the demographic danger
to the State believe that this leniency is a must. Otherwise the state of
Israel could in the not too distant future be comprised of a non Jewish
majority.
Obviously Charedi leaders do not consider that as important
as Religious Zionist leaders. They believe that questionable conversions are a
far greater danger to the Jewish people. State considerations are to them at
best a secondary consideration that cannot override what they believe are false
conversions.
So strongly do Religious Zionist leaders believe that this
problem requires a solution of wholesale conversions that they have set up
conversions courts in defiance of the Chief Rabbinate and the Charedi
leadership.
For their part the Rabbinate has already announced that conversions
done by these courts will not be recognized. This contentious issue is why
there is a strong move to abolish the Chief rabbinate altogether. It seem that no one likes them. Not the
Charedim, Not the Religious Zionists, and not Secular Jews. Which is too bad. A Jewish State requires a Jewish Rabbinate to determine things Jewish. But for
me this is a side issue at the moment. The greater issue here is how we define
Jews in the State of Israel.
I am not a Halachic authority. So my opinions on this matter
are irrelevant. However, I am more inclined to use a minority opinion if it can
solve a serious problem like the very Jewishness of so many of its citizens. On
the other hand, I completely sympathize with the Chief Rabbinate and the
Charedi leadership here. To create hundreds of thousands of Jews that have no
interest in following Halacha is not right.
For me Judaism at a minimum is about following Halacha. Cultural Judaism
is not by itself Judaism.
No matter how culturally Jewish a Christian (for example) might
feel, that does not make him Jewish. Even if he were to join the IDF and
volunteer for hazardous duty. It is true
that Jews who do not follow Halacha are still Jewish albeit sinners (whether
intentionally or unintentionally). But
that’s because by definition they are born of a Jewish mother are automatically
Jewish through no choice of their own. So even if these conversions were valid,
is it right to create a community of
300,000 sinners? Even if they sin unintentionally? Is that such a good idea? Even
if it is being done to save the Jewish character of the state?
Even leaving all that aside I am opposed to these
conversions for another reason. Going ahead with this plan would mean that some
segments of Orthodoxy in Israel would consider these converts to be Jewish, and
some not. For me that is a nightmare. You can’t have a society where not everyone
in the Orthodox rabbinate is on the same page about who is and who isn’t a Jew.
That would mean chaos.
Every marriage in the future would be put into question. These
converts will integrate into all segments of society, including the Charedim via outreach groups like Aish HaTorah. They will then send their children to Charedi schools. Will the lineage of every student now be checked? What about the lineage of a potential
Shidduch? Charedim won’t know who is Jewish even among their own. How can
Religious Zionist rabbinic leaders participate in creating this nightmare? Even
with the legitimate concerns and even if
they are right on the Halachic issue?
The fact that their converts will not be accepted by the
largest and fastest growing segment of observant Jewry in Israel should give
them great pause. Based on the
conversion standards set up by the RCA – which are in line with the Chief
Rabbinate - I doubt that these converts will be accepted by them either! Not to mention the fact that there is no way
that American Charedi leaders will accept them. Is using a conversion leniency
that is not accepted by all worth the price of such divisions?
I don’t think so. You can’t write off the majority of
observant Jewry in Israel… or in America for that matter. There has to be
another way. I understand the problem and am sympathetic to it, but this
solution is too costly. What a mess!
