New Pluralistic Conversion Forum Brings Together Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and Secular Jews

November 19, 2008

The newly established Pluralistic Conversion Forum strives to find a solution for the more than 300,000 Israeli immigrants, mainly from the former Soviet Union, who are not recognized as Jews by the State of Israel. The newcomers are either Jewish on their father's side, or are unable to prove their Jewishness to Israel's ultra-Orthodox dominated Chief Rabbinate. Consequently, they cannot marry in Israel, where there is no civil marriage, or even be buried in a Jewish cemetery.

The Pluralistic Conversion Forum, which is coordinated by NIF grantee Panim for Jewish Renewal in Israel, brings together representatives of mainstream Orthodox Judaism as well as Conservative, Reform and other non-Orthodox streams – a convergence which is virtually unprecedented in Israeli history. Most of the members of the Forum are NIF grantees including Ne’emanei Torah Va’avodah, which promotes a moderate voice in Orthodox Jewry, Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) of the Movement for Progressive Judaism in Israel (Reform) and The Masorati (Conservative) Movement.

The plight of Israel's "non-Jewish" immigrants became a crisis six months ago, when the Rabbinical Court of Appeals annulled thousands of conversions previously carried out by the Chief Rabbinate’s Conversion Authority, on the grounds they did not meet extremely stringent standards. (In some cases, conversion was revoked because the convert was found not to be living an ultra-Orthodox lifestyle.) This step consolidated ultra-Orthodox control over Israel’s rabbinical establishment, which has a monopoly over matters such as marriage.

 
Meir Yoffe, Executive Director of Panim, which coordinates the activities of the Pluralistic Conversion Forum.

"For years we have been saying that it is unreasonable to demand that an Israeli can only convert to Judaism if they commit themselves to leading an uncompromising Orthodox life after conversion," explained Meir Yoffe, Executive Director of Panim. "The disqualification of even Orthodox conversions earlier this year pushed up the bar to new heights of extremism."  

For many moderate voices in the Orthodox community, the annulment controversy has sparked a desire to end the ultra-Orthodox monopoly on conversion by setting up Alternative Rabbinical Courts.  It also demonstrated the need to join forces with Conservative, Reform and secular Jews in confronting the ultra-Orthodox establishment.

The Forum hopes to establish two new streams for conversion – Orthodox and Secular Humanistic. Since a landmark Supreme Court ruling won by IRAC in 2005, the Conservative and Reform movements can perform conversions and annually convert about 300 Israelis who are subsequently registered as Jews by the Ministry of Interior.

Tmura,  the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, has announced that it will begin a Jewish conversion course in January. Ne’emanei Torah Va’avodah, which is part of a coalition of mainstream Orthodox organizations, is expected to announce the establishment of an Alternative Orthodox Conversion Court in early 2009. The precedent ruling ordering the Ministry of Interior to register Conservative and Reform converts as Jewish should mean that graduates of these new courses will qualify for recognition as Jewish Israelis.

Graduates of the alternative conversion tracks will still not be entitled to marry in Israel, but progress on the conversion issue will provide a platform to push for solutions regarding marriages, divorce and burial for those not recognized as Jews by Israel's Chief Rabbinate.