Let's start with the data: the number of non-Jewish children born in Israel each year is less than the number of converts.
The state invests enormous efforts in trying to convert nearly half a million Israelis who are non-Jews according to Jewish law, but in practice only about 35,000 immigrants from these countries have converted in recent decades (from a study by Dr. Nathaniel Fischer, head of the Shaarei academic center) Science and Law "and an expert in conversion and immigration).
But perhaps Israel is facing a significant change.
The new conversion plan formulated by the Ministry of Religions allows for the first time in years for city rabbis the possibility of establishing conversion courts.
The goal, which is openly on the table, is to make it easier for thousands and possibly tens of thousands of potential converts, the procedure that is considered rigid and unacceptable.
A recent study by the Million Lobby organization and the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Studies found that about 45 percent of those sampled, whose Judaism is not recognized by halakhah, testified that they would be willing to convert or consider it in the state-Orthodox conversion system if changes were made.
The Minister of Religions, Matan Kahana, has already made it clear that conversion will continue to be in accordance with Halacha, and will include accepting the yoke of mitzvos - a requirement that may alienate potential converts who wish to be Jews but do not want to keep Shabbat or send their children to religious institutions.
Pashkvils against reform in conversion (archive, the subject has nothing to do with the news), Photo: News 24
For many years, many attempts have been made to encourage conversion in Israel.
As early as the 1970s, the state conversion system was established by the late Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren, and at the same time city rabbis were allowed to establish conversion courts. When he saw fit, the chief rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi Doron decided to stop the move, and approved only for the state conversion system to carry out the conversions, as is the case today.
However, the immigration of more than a million immigrants from the Commonwealth of Independent States since the 1990s has created a problematic situation: Hundreds of thousands of immigrants from the seed of Israel, whose Judaism is ingrained in their history but who are not Jews today according to Jewish law, immigrated to Israel.
This raised the fear of intermarriage and accelerated assimilation among many, and today it can be seen with certainty that this fear was justified, according to them: in Israel about one hundred thousand couples are involved, and it can be assumed that many more are unmarried but living together as public figures.
The tough process is daunting
Data collected by Dr. Fischer over the years from the State Conversion System and the Central Bureau of Statistics show a difficult picture regarding the conversion efforts in Israel. Since the 1990s, about 100,000 people have converted, making Israel a huge conversion power This immigration is all converts), about 15 percent from different countries in the world for personal reasons, and only 35 percent of them are immigrants from the Commonwealth of Independent States and their descendants. A percentage of the conversions are of women, and according to Dr. Fischer this is mainly due to the fact that according to Judaism the religion of the baby is determined according to the mother.
Every year, about 2,000 people from families from the Commonwealth of Independent States convert, about 500 of them are natives of the country.
Along with them, between 600 and 800 female and male soldiers from the Commonwealth of Independent States convert to the IDF course every year. In the last two years, in the shadow of the corona, there has been a significant decrease in the number of converts through the state. Non-Jews (non-Arabs) in the State of Israel, compared to 1,900 converts (excluding converts from Ethiopia who are not relevant to the issue).
Dr. Nathaniel Fischer, Head of the Department of Government at the Shaarei Mada VeMishpat Academic Center and an expert in conversion and immigration,
"We are seeing a worrying phenomenon of a decrease in the volume of conversion," says Dr. Fischer.
The fact that thousands of people convert every year is not self-evident, but it creates an incredible dissonance: on the one hand, the rabbinate works well and converts tens of thousands, while snatching the head from the more conservative side, claiming that the dayanim are too lenient.
On the other hand, the potential is far from being realized.
For the past 20 years, one in four immigrants has been in a conversion class - more than a hundred thousand people starting the process.
But only 35,000 finished.
It is true that there are many reasons why many did not complete the process, but there is no doubt that the process itself and the requirements deter some people. "
Urban conversion
In fact, although there is a uniform state conversion system in the State of Israel, in practice the courts in the various districts operate in different ways, some making it easier and some making it more difficult for converts. In some courts, about 80 percent of converts pass the tests for the first time and become Jews, and in others - less than half pass the tests, making it dramatically difficult for them to continue the conversion process, which requires significant mental strength along with physical commitment. This is due to differences in halakhic approaches, but in practice this means that if a person lives in a city where the conversion dayan is more conservative - the chance of him being able to convert easily is significantly reduced. "It can not be that the attachment of your ID card will dictate whether you will be able to convert or not," says Dr. Fisher.
The new outline proves that the Minister of Religions, Kahana, understands the need to create more lenient alternatives - within the boundaries of halakhah, but one that will be accepted, even if with a sour face, by the ultra-Orthodox.
In 2018, former Minister Moshe Nissim presented a conversion plan that included the establishment of a completely new conversion system, which would be detached from the Chief Rabbinate.
This outline was severely attacked by the ultra-Orthodox MKs and chief rabbis, and was shelved.
One of the burning issues that is on the table and has not been discussed is whether the committee that will be set up for city rabbis will allow minors to convert.
This is a solution that will enable the rapid conversion of small children, thus stopping the increase in the number of non-Jews in Israel.
Has the state delayed the train in everything related to mass conversion and prevention of assimilation?
The fact that in recent times there has been an increase in the number of couples involved along with a decrease in the number of converts proves that the new immigrants and their descendants - Israelis for all intents and purposes - are in no hurry to convert, and since the requirement was and remains .
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