Minister of Religions Matan Kahana submitted today (Wednesday) the memorandum of the Government Conversion Law, under which, for the first time in years, city rabbis will be allowed to establish conversion courts. The law memorandum will be circulated for public comment and will go up for government approval in about three weeks.
As revealed in "Israel Today", according to the new law, city rabbis will be able to establish conversion tribunals, as part of the state conversion system under a new division called the "City Rabbis" district.
In addition, a committee of rabbis will be established to formulate the rules of procedure and oblige all the courts to convert.
The Chief Rabbis, the Steering Committee and the Chief Rabbinical Council will have the authority to revoke the appointment of a conversion judge in a controlled manner in the event of a violation of rules of procedure.
At the same time, only the composition that gave a person a conversion will be able to discuss its abolition.
The conversion reform is underway, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
"We can not accept a situation of assimilation in the State of Israel and we have a historic opportunity to address this issue," Kahana said at a press conference.
"Over the years there have been historic misses resulting from people fighting fanatically for a status quo that is irrelevant to anything, and with their own hands preventing the possibility that conversion according to halakhah will be exclusive and unique. I can not afford to repeat that miss again so I will do anything to pass the law."
In recent weeks, a number of drafts of the law have been published stating that various non-city rabbis will be able to open a conversion court.
Kahana clarifies that these were various tests that after they turned out to be problems were removed from the law.
He called the various publications "distortions and lies" and clarified that at present only city rabbis or dayanim serving in the state conversion system will be able to establish a conversion court.
Minister of Religions Matan Kahana, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
"I trust the rabbis of the cities. They are the long arm of the chief rabbinate. When I submitted the kosher program they claimed that I was harming the status of the city rabbis and now suddenly the chief rabbinate says they can not be trusted? Which has become a reform that will honor and oust him, "according to the minister.
Kahana clarified that there will be no recognition of Reform conversions as part of his law, noting that for the first time ever the status of the Chief Rabbinate regarding conversion enters as a law from the State of Israel, alongside the clarification that conversions will be done according to Torah law.
"On the day that the chief rabbinate appoints a reform rabbi to be mayor, then we will start to worry. This law is discussed according to Torah law, this event is not a reform event. It does not address the issue at all."
Chairman of Religious Zionism Smutrich attacks High Court ruling on the issue of Reform and Conservative conversion
The Minister of Religions sharply attacked the rabbis who came out against Rabbi David Satyu, chairman of the Tzohar organization and rabbi of the city they are.
He is a great rabbi in the Torah.
I am amazed at the chief rabbinate that appointed these people and suddenly does not trust them. "
Without recognition of private conversions, upon receipt of a yoke of observance
Contrary to previous publications, Kahana noted that there would be no recognition of previous private conversions, such as conversions of the private court "properly converting", not because it opposes the issue but because it is not legally possible.
"I trust 'conversion properly' completely, and to some extent they even surpass the conversions of the state conversion system, but the truth is we have not found a legal way to retroactively recognize their conversions - so it does not fit into that law."
At the press conference, Kahana said that it would not be possible to convert without accepting the yoke of mitzvos, but at the same time clarified that he was in favor of converting minors, one of the controversial issues regarding conversion.
"We want to convert minors, I say that explicitly. There are huge Torah scholars who think this is a great option."
Rabbi David Satyu, head of the Tzohar organization, Photo: Yehonatan Shaul
Kahana referred to the ultra-Orthodox claims that if the city rabbis open conversion courts they will be forced to open genealogies in the future to know who is a Jew and who is not and said "the threat of opening genealogies is an idle threat, not because it is not a shocking threat, but because it is already happening." In the panel next to me and shouted that whoever converts in the IDF will be prosecuted and added that whoever his son marries an IDF conversion should sit on him seven. There are entire publics who keep pedigrees. "These threats, Khalas. These are idle threats. There will be conversions here and they will see that they are serious and according to the law they will accept them."
At the end of his remarks, Kahana also referred to the fact that Chief Rabbi David Lau took over the powers of the head of the conversion system in an attempt to stop the reform and said "I understand Rabbi Lau acted without authority but we are examining it."
He expressed hope that the Chief Rabbinate would cooperate with the Alignment and noted: "There is a dispute with the Chief Rabbinate here, there is no way to beautify it," he said but added: "There is an interface with the Chief Rabbinate. "
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