Once a year, on Shavuot, we read the Book of Ruth and tell the story of Ruth the Moabite, and every year it is amazing to see how this charming story remains only a story, folklore.
During my time studying at the yeshiva, I learned that every story in the Bible needs to be studied in depth, to understand the idea behind it. After all, there are many stories in the history of the Jewish people, and why was this story chosen to enter the Bible and be the story of Shavuot? Thus, from year to year the gap between the central theme of the story and our attitude to the same phenomenon in Israeli society only grows.
Ruth's story is the story of an impressive and courageous woman who decided to join the Jewish people despite the difficulties and fears, and is welcomed by Boaz and his community with open arms. He recognizes her sincere intention, her virtue, and her willingness to be accepted into a small people that has a different faith and way than hers. Ruth went through her conversion process all the way to the Land of Judah, accompanied closely by Naomi. It began by choosing this option rather than returning to her father's house, and ended with Boaz examining the sincerity of her intentions.
Path track for IDF converts,
In the State of Israel in 2023, there are more than half a million members of the Jewish people who are not halachically Jewish. In the past year, as a result of the war between Russia and Ukraine, another 50,<> non-Jews joined according to Jewish law (according to data collected by Dr. Netanel Fischer).
Low number of converts
We love talking about demography so much, comparing birth rates in the Arab and Jewish sectors, and reading pessimistic studies about the demographic situation in 30 or 50 years. But what about the demography of the Jewish people? Most of the new immigrants to Israel in recent years are not halachically Jewish. This statistic should bother us no less than other demographic data.
However, unlike the other challenges, this one has a solution. It may not solve everything, but it can certainly solve a big part of it.
In the past twenty years, the State of Israel has understood the challenge, established the Nativ organization, opened the conversion track in the IDF and established the state conversion system. A single, official body is subordinate to the Prime Minister's Office, which will provide a response, under the close halachic supervision of the Chief Rabbi of Israel. However, only about 3,000 new converts complete the conversion process each year, which is 0.005% of the potential.
The conversion court in Jerusalem, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
It is easiest to say that halacha does not allow or that the employees of the conversion system do not do their jobs, but this is not true. The main problem is social and the responsibility lies with Israeli society as a whole, secular, religious and ultra-Orthodox. It starts with our attitude towards the converts – contempt ("Why did you even do that?") and an attempt to challenge the process they went through ("They didn't really convert").
This attitude stems mainly from ignorance and unfamiliarity with the conversion process, but also from condescension, generalization and prejudice towards those who chose to convert. In addition, subordinating the head of the conversion system, who is a halachic figure who knows and lives the subject of conversion, to the Chief Rabbi of Israel, uproots his role and undermines all the hard work that has already been done. The Chief Rabbi has many areas to deal with, conversion is the last subject he chooses to deal with. This is an issue that invites criticism and public pressure from every direction, and you need broad shoulders to deal with it. A person with broad shoulders will usually not be elected in elections where the only criterion is political connections.
The writer is a former director of the state conversion system
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