Two announcements today from Israel. One is the official announcement of "indirect" peace talks over the next four months between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. It's hard to know what to make of this. As President Obama said last week about health care reform, every idea there is about the issues between Israel and the Palestinians has been voiced, written, and negotiated about off an on.
Not having the sides together does not seem to be a recipe for success. I continue to think that it's a good sign that Prime Minister Netanyahu, a cautious person and a sceptic, is in talks that he knows lead to an incredibly substantial withdrawal from the West Bank. But then I continue to wonder why the Palestinian leadership can't find a way to say yes to those kinds of offers from Israel, why they insist on getting this and more without negotiating directly. Maybe someone with experise can enlighten us?
The other matter relates to proposed changes in how conversions are (and are not) recognized by the State of Israel. I'm forwarding a communication that came today from the Rabbinical Assembly, the organization of Conservative rabbis in North America and hope that you will consider copying the suggested letter and e-mailing it to the Prime Minister and to Michael Oren, Israel's ambassador to the United States:
Dear Colleagues,
We need your help on a matter of urgency concerning a bill that will come before the Knesset. We have received word from our colleagues in Israel that a bill may be put forward for passage as soon as tomorrow which affects conversion and we need as many of us and our congregants to forward the following letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu and to your Israeli Ambassador.
The bill sponsored by MK David Rotem of Yisrael Beitenu, deals with both the authority of the Chief Rabbinate and matters of Conversion. The Rotem Bill concerns three matters:
1. It grants legal authority to the Chief Rabbinate for Conversions (while until now there was de facto recognition this gives legal recognition to the role of the Chief Rabbinate in this area) and would make it much more difficult for conversions to be performed by our Movement, by more “open-minded” Orthodox rabbis, and by Reform rabbis.
2. It provides for the ability of local rabbis in Israel to establish conversion courts. This is a good part of the bill of which we are supportive because it will potentially permit the establishment of more forward looking conversion courts. However, the first part of the bill passes, the Chief Rabbinate may declare these courts null and void, which would obviate any cause for our support.
3. Section 3 of this bill is highly problematic. Here is the summary of Section 3 by our colleague, Reuven Hammer:
“Section 3 of the proposed conversion bill that we strongly oppose states that anyone that who entered Israel as a non-Jew and then converted to Judaism-either in Israel or the Diaspora would not be eligible for citizenship under the Law of Return. First of all this is exactly the case that we now have before the Supreme Court, asking that our conversions in Israel be recognized and citizenship rights granted to our converts. This is an attempt to go around the Supreme Court. Secondly, the wording is so vague that it could mean that if such a person had visited Israel at any time, no matter when, their conversion would not be recognized for citizenship in the future. Thirdly this would be the first time that Israel is officially making a distinction between one who is born a Jew and a righteous convert, something that we find deplorable and unsupportable in Jewish Law. Since our movement is the movement that is most involved in conversion in America and elsewhere, we and our congregants are the primary target of the bill. We urge everyone to make their protest known immediately to the Israeli government.”
WE STRONGLY URGE THAT YOU CALL UPON YOUR COMMUNITIES TONIGHT TO FORWARD THE FOLLOWING LETTER OR ITS EQUIVALENT TO THE PRIME MINISTER AND YOUR AMBASSADOR.
The Honorable Benjamin Netanyahu
Prime Minister of
Israel
Office of the Prime Minister
Jerusalem, Israel
Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu,
We write to request your immediate intervention to prevent passage of the legislation being brought forward by MK David Rotem (הצעת חוק הרבנות הראשית תיקון- סמכות בעניני גיור)
Passage of this bill in its present form especially section 3, will have the effect of providing for a path to alter the Law of Return or, at the least, cause undue hardship to anyone in Israel who has come from Diaspora communities and seeks conversion in Israel .
Sadly, this is reminiscent of those attempts in 1997 to enact similar legislation which ultimately led to the establishment of the Ne'eman Commission.
While we are supportive of your efforts to create greater accessibility to conversion courts in Israel and have done all we can to aid in this effort, the overall impact of the Rotem Bill will set back these efforts. Moreover this legislation will adversely impact the work of our Masorti movement and its members in Israel . This we cannot abide.
Even more regrettably, should this bill be enacted, it will exacerbate a widening gap between Diaspora and Israel communities, which we are all working very hard to avoid.
Therefore, we believe it is imperative that you, Israel ’s leader, who cares so deeply about the well-being of our people, intervene and urge withdrawal of this bill.
The email for Prime Minister Netanyahu is:
Prime.Minister'[email protected]
For Amb. Oren’s office:
For a list of other Ambassadors click here
If you should have any further questions please contact Stuart Weinblatt, our Israel Policy Chair.
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