At the end of the another hearing, which took place on Wednesday 7 Tammuz at the Supreme Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem, the outcome was that Rabbinical Court didn’t recognize the conversions of Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, Rabbi of Kehilath Jeshurun (KJ) community in New York and a prominent rabbi in the United States. The dayanim have even gone as far as to force the convert, around whom the hearing revolved, to undergo a quick conversion. In response, the convert said that “I feel humiliated, what they are saying is that they don’t recognize my Judaism. I love Rabbi Lookstein, he is my rabbi, he led me into the Jewish world and I don’t want his conversion to not be recognized.” As the hearing commenced, the dayanim asked the convert and her representatives on behalf of the ‘Itim’ organization, attorneys Elad Caplan and Jenny Brenner to leave the courtroom. Upon their exit, the dayanim tried to pressure the convert’s chosson, with whom she is to marry soon, to convince her to undergo a rigorous conversion during the hearing. Eventually, with no other choice left for them, the convert and her spouse agreed to the demands of the dayanim in order for them to marry on the date that has been set for the wedding, about a month and a half from now. During the hearing, one of the dayanim explained the reasoning behind the move by saying that. “I am not familiar with the nature of Rabbi Lookstein’s conversions, the approval of the Chief Rabbi is not enough… because there is no list of approved rabbis and there is no order. Every conversion needs to go through a Rabbinical Court.” This comes in contrast with what the chief rabbis and representatives of the Chief Rabbinate have previously said. stating that they recognize Rabbi Lookstein’s conversions. Despite what the dayanim have said, the convert implored them to reconsider. “I ask that even if I do pass this process today, you would still recognize Rabbi Lookstein’s conversion. For if you don’t, you should know that myself, and many others like me, would lose their trust in the Chief Rabbinate”, she said. The hearing at the Supreme Rabbinical Beis Din was headed by Rabbi Nachum Gortler along with dayanim Rabbi Yitzhak Elmaliach and Rabbi Maimon Nahari – The three were appointed as temporary judges. Two of them received a permanent appointment to the Supreme Beis Din this week. This, in fact, is their first ruling on the duty. In light of the ruling, Rabbi Dr. Seth Farber, head of ‘Itim’, the organization that represented both the convert and Rabbi Lookstein in the process, said that “Today, the Supreme Rabbinical Court has imposed a heavy cloud upon the conversions of thousands of converts, who were converted by Orthodox rabbis in the United States. This is a sad day for the converts and this is a sad day for the relations between the state of Israel and the United States Jewry. In their ruling, the dayanim have humiliated not just the convert, but also hundreds of rabbis in the diaspora and their congregations.” Rabbi Farber adds that “Our struggle is not over and we intend to continue the fight until the Chief Rabbinate will recognize the rabbis in the United States and take a more welcoming approach

Chief Rabbi of Israel HaGaon HaRav Dovid Lau Shlita overruled a decision by the Petach Tikvah Rabbanut, explaining the Chief Rabbinate of Israel accepts the giyur performed by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein of the USA. The Petach Tikvah Rabbanut recently rejected a giyores who was converted by Rabbi Lookstein. Rabbi Lookstein is also the Rabbi who converted Ivanka Marie Trump, the daughter of Republican party hopeful Donald Trump. Rav Lau explains that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel recognizes Rav Lookstein’s conversions including Ivanka Trump. Rabbi Lau sent a letter to Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein and opposition chairman MK Yitzchak Herzog stating “I received your letters and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Batei Din are separate entities. Rav Lau adds the Chief Rabbinate Council will be convening soon and one of the items on the agenda is an appeal of the Petach Tikvah Beis Din’s decision, expressing confidence the Chief Rabbinate’s position on the matter will be made clear in that forum. Regarding the female giyur from Petach Tikvah, both Edelstein and Herzog turned to Chief Rabbi Lau regarding the decision, explaining why he responded to both of them in his letter. The Chief Rabbinate Council is currently scheduled to convene on Wednesday, 1 Rosh Chodesh Tammuz at which time the decision of the Petach Tikvah Rabbanut is likely to be overturned. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

In a ceremony held last weekend in Kiev, participants of the ‘Triguboff Institute’ ‘Maslul’ project marked the completion of the first phase of their studies of the project’s conversion preparation course. The innovative project is destined to assist 24 Eligible Olim from Kiev, who take part in the project’s curriculum and aren’t recognized as Jewish according to the Halacha, to integrate into the Israeli society more easily and quickly, by substantially shortening the duration of the training they must go through in Israel, should they decide to convert to Judaism. As part of the project’s curriculum, the 24 students of the Kiev group have completed their studies in three units of Jewish studies: “Bible Studies”, “The Jewish calendar”, “Mitzvos” and the Jewish circle of life. Following that, the group will begin their studies of the project’s fourth unit – “History of the Jewish people”. Rabbi Michael Rosenfeld from ‘The Zionist Midrash’, who together with his wife is part of the project’s teaching staff, talks about the seriousness shown by Olim who partake in the project’s curriculum. “I was pleasantly surprised by their seriousness and the interest they were showing. Some come with a Jewish background while other don’t, but overall you can see how serious they are about this, way over then what was expected. It is very interesting to hear their conversation with one another, where they talk about what it takes to make aliyah. They understand the seriousness of the matter and that is a good thing. An outsider will not always understand what it means.” His wife Leah, also a teacher in the project, add that “I really enjoy myself, this is such a great group. They sincerely understand what it takes to be Jewish and they allow themselves to stop for a minute and think about what it takes to be Jewish. I hear from them how they’re asking themselves what is the essence of being Jewish in Israel and what does it mean, and I truly feel that they internalize what it takes. They ask a lot of questions and are showing great interest. You can see that they really care. From here, we believe that it would be easier for you to successfully graduate the course.” In addition to the group in Kiev, two other study groups are operating at the ‘Choral’ synagogue Jewish community center in Moscow, in which a total of 36 students eligible for Aliyah are studying. Students of the two Moscow groups have recently finished their studies of the “Bible” and “History of the Jewish people” units as well, soon joining the Kiev group in finishing the first phase of the project’s curriculum. The project has expanded recently to the city of Dnepropetrovsk, where earlier this month another study group was established as part of the project, consisting of 16 students eligible for aliyah, with another group set to be established later. Next week, the new group is scheduled to complete their studies of the first unit in “Bible studies”. The ‘Maslul’ project offers the Olim a solution by using the relatively calm time period they are in, between their decision to make aliyah and its execution. The project was established in order to allow olim who according to the ‘Law of Return are eligible to make aliyah to better

The Petach Tikvah Rabbinate has rejected a conversion that was performed by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, a leading modern Orthodox rabbi in New York City. The giyur performed by Rabbi Lookstein was viewed as being invalid by the Petach Tikvah Beis Din, explaining the rabbi’s name does not appear on the list of ‘approved’ rabbonim whose giyur is accepted. Following are a number of reactions to the Rabbanut’s decision not to accept the giyur. JFNA The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) is deeply disturbed by the recent announcement by the Bet Din of Petah Tikvah that they have rejected a conversion carried out by Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, one of America’s leading Modern Orthodox rabbis. Richard Sandler, chair of JFNA’s Board of Trustees stated, “The Torah repeatedly teaches us to honor the convert in our midst. The Petach Tikvah Bet Din’s denial of the legitimacy of this convert, who has embraced the Jewish People and undertaken to live a full Jewish life, undermines that fundamental principle. Moreover, the Bet Din’s rejection of one of America’s leading Orthodox rabbis is an affront to the country’s entire Jewish community. We applaud and encourage actions by Israel’s Chief Rabbinate to help overturn the decision.” RCA The Rabbinical Council of America, the leading organization of orthodox rabbis in North America, appreciates and supports the efforts of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel to reverse the decision of the local Bet Din of Petach Tikvah which refused to accept its recommendation to recognize the validity of the conversion to Judaism of an applicant for marriage arranged by our colleague Rabbi Haskel Lookstein. Rabbi Shalom Baum, president of the RCA, said, “We regret the angst caused to this righteous convert, as well as the vulnerability felt by many righteous converts who feel that their legitimate status as Jews remains always subject to scrutiny. We call upon the Chief Rabbinate and the Israeli Religious Courts to ensure that in the future such applicants are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. We hope that we can strengthen the cooperation between the Rabbinate and the RCA in order to better serve the members of our communities and better represent and facilitate the efforts of our members.” ITIM Rabbi Dr Seth Farber, director of ITIM, at the Knesset’s Aliya & Diaspora Committee on Monday 21 Sivan to Minister Naftali Bennett (who attended the committee): “The Ministry for Diaspora Affairs is spending hundreds of millions if Shekels to connect people to Israel. But the isolationist and dismissive policies of the government of Israel – particularly as expressed through the policies of the rabbinate – undermine any effort to make Jews feel at home in Israel. The time has come to say enough is enough”. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times It is a quandary that many non-observant Jewish families face: For one reason or another, the couple cannot have a child of their very own. As a consequence, they would like to adopt. They may have frum relatives, and they are very proud of being Jewish. Can they adopt a gentile child and convert him or her through a kosher Orthodox Beis Din? THE TALMUDIC STATEMENT There is a well-known expression found in the Talmud (Kesuvos 11a): Ger kattan, matbilin oso al da‘as beis din—a non-Jewish minor may be immersed for conversion on the authority of beis din. The Gemara asks what this particular ruling comes to teach us. The answer is that being Jewish is considered a positive thing, and, according to Jewish law, one may accept a positive thing for another person when he or she is not present. The principle is termed, “zachin le’adam shelo befanav.” As an illustration, if Ed McMahon from the American Family Publishing sweepstakes were to knock on your door while you were not home, the halachah would allow your neighbor to accept the $250,000 check on your behalf and then give it to you when you get home. Why? It is because the entire affair is a very positive development on your behalf. Conversely, if a NYPD officer followed you home after you had committed a traffic infraction, knocked on your door, and tried giving your mother a ticket for what you did, she cannot accept it for you—the Talmud tells us, “ein chavin le’adam shelo befanav” – one cannot incur something negative for another on his behalf when he is not present. So what do Ed McMahon and the NYPD police officer have to do with the conversion of an adopted child? Everything. The issue is whether beis din may accept Judaism on behalf of a child, who, when raised in a non-observant environment will (by all odds) not be observant himself, and will consequently incur all sorts of violations for not keeping Shabbos, kosher, putting on tefillin, et cetera? A number of years ago, Rabbi Reuven Bulka from Canada wrote a book entitled, “The Coming Cataclysm” where he mentions Rav Moshe Feinstein’s position that when beis din went ahead and did perform such a conversion, it is possibly valid ex post facto. How so? Rav Feinstein’s explanation is that it still might be a z’chus (merit) to be considered for one to be part of the Jewish People, notwithstanding that he is in violation of various laws and codes. To further understand this position, consider the following analogy: Imagine that, unbeknownst to you, a friend of yours had surreptitiously enrolled you in Harvard University. A year later, the friend informs you that you were enrolled—and that you have failed all of your courses. Your Harvard GPA is a perfect 0.0. Are you happy that your friend did it? Well, at least you can say, “Sure, I went to Harvard!” Not everyone, of course, is in agreement with this position. Dayan Fisher, zt”l, of the Eida HaChareidis in Jerusalem, flatly disagreed with this position (Even Yisrael, Vol. 8 Siman 1) and ruled that the child would be clearly considered non-Jewish, notwithstanding his certificate from a beis din. There are numerous other

Beersheva Chief Rabbi Yehuda Deri announced that mikvaos in his city are for Orthodox tevila only, stating he will not permit a Reform convert and a Reform beit din make use of the city’s mikvaos. Deri states that he is not going to permit a Reform convert to use a city mikve and plans to defy the High Court’s ruling. Rabbi Deri’s statements are in response to the recent Supreme Court ruling ordering a Beersheva mikve to permit a Reform convert toivel in that mikve in the presence of a Reform beis din. The ruling is viewed by many as official recognition of Reform conversions. Religious parties in Knesset; Yahadut Hatorah, Bayit Yehudi and Shas has already announced that are joining forces to combat the High Court ruling. They plan to push a bill that will compel mikvaos in cities to adhere to the rules of local religious councils in the hope of circumventing the court ruling. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Hiddush head, Reformed Rabbi Uri Regev, called for “using stern measures and prosecuting the man who burned a prayer book at the Kotel.” According to Regev, “It’s disturbing to see that the police did not attempt to arrest the man while he was in the act of burning the prayer book, but rather waited patiently to escort him as he exited the plaza. It would be most appropriate for the Rabbi of the Kotel, Shmuel Rabinovitch, to be the one who submits a complaint to the police. Otherwise, the world may conclude that burning prayer books at the Western Wall is permissible if they happen to not be to the liking of the ultra-Orthodox worshippers, such as the Women of the Wall’s prayer book in this particular case. One need not be a great expert in Diaspora-Israel relations in order to understand the damage caused by such act of religious extremism being tolerated without swiftly and sternly sanctioning such desecration. One need not be a prophet in order to know that a Kotel where burning prayer books is not met with repercussions, may once again see renewed violence against people, Modern Orthodox women and non-Orthodox worshippers. The police and Rabbi of the Western Wall will be entirely responsible for this.” The Hiddush media release adds, “This event is reminiscent of 1970 when ultra-Orthodox MK Menachem Porush of the Agudat Israel party spat on a Reform prayer book and threw it to the floor of the Knesset. Given his parliamentary immunity, he was merely sanctioned with disciplinary measures, and the event was met with major waves of criticism and anger. Rabbi Porush subsequently apologized, asking that his apology close the incident. Indeed, one might have hoped that following the public condemnation of Porush’s intolerance towards non-Orthodox Judaism, such public upswells of religious bigotry would have ceased. However, today we awaken to find that the reality has become much worse. Religious intolerance is increasingly prevalent in Israeli society, all too often being expressed by acts of violence. Tellingly, Israel’s police today are content to simply stand by and watch as an ultra-Orthodox fanatic burns a prayer book at our holiest Jewish site. Zero tolerance to acts of religious bigotry and desecration is needed, if Israel is to remain a democracy, and if Judaism’s self-image of ‘Its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace’ is to prevail”. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

The following statement was released by a spokesman for the Chief Rabbinate of Israel in the name of Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita. The rav is responding to the Supreme Court ruling permitting non-Orthodox conversions in Israel. “The unfortunate decision to allow the Reform and Conservative to toivel in mikvaos designed for the general public is outrageous. The Reform undermine the Jewish identity of the State of Israel and only use halacha when it is convenient for them. “The court may not with one hand satisfy the desires of a small handful and with the other deliver a devastating blow to tens of thousands of Jews interested in Jewish life in line with halacha and continuing to maintain the true Jewish identity of the state”. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday, 2 Adar I, ruled in favor of approving non-Orthodox conversions. The court ruled that a Reform or Conservative Jew wishing to convert with a beis din of one of those streams, may not be denied entry into any state-run mikve to toivel. The petition to the court was filed by the Israel Religious Action Center, the advocacy arm of the Reform movement in Israel. The case deals with a convert who wished to toivel in a Beersheva mikve that is run by the city’s religious council, a state-run mikve, while the non-Orthodox rabbonim would witness the tevila. The local religious council refused the request. When the case was brought to a district court it was rejected, with the lower court explaining non-Orthodox conversions are “private” and therefore, the state mikve is not compelled to accommodate them. The Supreme Court however viewed the refusal of the religious council discriminatory, hereby granting the non-Orthodox converts legal state in state-run mikvaos. The court ruled the convert may bring the beis din of his/her choice, making it clear the rabbonim of the non-Orthodox streams may not be prevented from entering the mikvaos with the conversion candidate. There is no doubt the next step will be the convert will go to the Interior Ministry and seek to be recognized as a Jew, which is not likely to occur. This will lead to the next petition to the High Court as the Reform and Conservative Movement continue to make significant headway into Israel’s religious and legal systems. With Shas running both the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Religious Services will be interesting to see how these ministers will address Supreme Court rulings. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

The Tzohar Rabbinical Organization, which has been a major force in the effort to reform the halachic conversion process in Israel, described the passage of the Conversion Bill as “a victory for those who oppose the continued assimilation within Israeli society and the future of the Jewish People.” Rabbi David Stav, Founder and Chairman of Tzohar said, “The Government of Israel took responsibility this morning for our country’s future and ratified a decision which will benefit hundreds of thousands of Israelis who had been stymied for years by an outdated and unfriendly conversion process at the hands of the Chief Rabbinate. Should this reform not have been accepted, we would have been witness to an irreversible path of assimilation not unlike that which exists in Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora” The bill, as it was passed by the cabinet, will transfer the authority over conversion from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel’s authority into the hands of local official municipal rabbis. According to Tzohar, this process will make the procedure far more efficient and welcoming to the convert. Furthermore Rabbi Stav said, “This development will in no way impact upon the halachic sanctity of the conversion process and will always be carried out according to the tradition which has inspired us from the time we received the Torah at Sinai. We are proud to restore the Municipal Courts of Conversion that existed in Israel until 20 years ago when they were transferred to the authority of the Chief Rabbinate”. The Tzohar Rabbinical Organization expressed their gratitude to MK Elazar Stern for bravely leading this initiative in the Knesset, along with Deputy Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan, MK David Rotem, as well as opposition leader MK Yitzchak Herzog. Rabbi Stav said, “The decision this morning is nothing short of historic for the future of Jewish identity in Israel and in passing this law we will now be able to look into the eyes of converts and say with love and compassion, welcome to the Jewish people.” (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Speaking to Israel Radio on Monday morning 3 Shevat 5773, Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman expressed his outrage over the Shas election infomercial in which Lieberman’s party is accused of promoting fast track conversions. Lieberman explained that Aryeh Deri has just to look at the Yisrael Beitenu draft proposal to amend the giyur laws and he would see that each page was reviewed by and approved by Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar Shlita, explaining “we made aliyah from the FSU because we are interested in perpetuating our Judaism, not to destroy it”, rejecting allegations to the contrary. Lieberman explained there is no logic to Shas allegations, which are certainly backed in fact, adding that regarding the state giyur, Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita has also announced they are to be recognized so he questions Shas motives when clearly the program is in line with the rulings of major Halachic authorities. The controversial Shas video. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided Sunday not to hold a government vote on the military conversions bill. Netanyahu discussed the matter with Shas Ministers Eli Yishai and Ariel Atias for two hours, and the three agreed that Chief Sephardic Rabbi Shlomo Amar would make a decision on the matter. Earlier, Netanyahu praised Interior Minister Yishai for his “intensive activity” which led to the approval of NIS 100 million (about $28 million) for improving Israel’s firefighting services. The cabinet meeting was temperamental. Justice Minister Yaakov Ne’eman shouted that “the attempt to advance this law is political.” The meeting was stopped for a long period of time to allow Netanyahu to sit down with the Shas ministers at the cabinet secretariat. Ministers defined the meeting as “very embarrassing”. One of the ministers told Ynet, “Rabbi Druckman came and said, ‘Listen, there has always been an IDF conversion, but someone suddenly found out that there was a technical problem. So it’s not healthy to have both an IDF conversion and a regular conversion because people won’t distinguish between them. Rabbi Amar is very logical, but he’s abroad, so let’s wait a few days.’” Shas’ ministers accepted this stand. “There is only a technical problem here, and we are in favor of conversions in the army,” one of them said. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman listened, but refused to budge. “I don’t agree, I am in favor of competition. I don’t want to drag this matter anymore. I have been waiting for these things to move for years. I want conversions in the army. It’s the melting pot, and conversions must take place there. There are 300,000 people seeking a solution.” At this stage the other ministers asked Lieberman to give up and to agree not to vote on the bill. Lieberman was infuriated and said “no”. “We had a coalition agreement about the government system, about the conversions, about the loyalty law. You gave us nothing… I want the IDF to be the way to convert. I am in favor of separating the IDF from the Chief Rabbinate’s conversion.” The prime minister, who spend a long time striking the deal with the Shas ministers, did not say a word. Only towards the end of the meeting he said, “We’re not going to vote on it today. Perhaps we’ll find a solution by Wednesday.” Ynet reported Saturday night that Netanyahu had offered to “bury the law” after it passes a preliminary reading at the Knesset. Shas turned down the proposal, demanding that he call off the government vote. The deal the prime minister struck with Shas means that the party’s appeal against the law still stands, and the entire coalition will be forced to vote against the Yisrael Beiteinu bill at the Knesset on Wednesday. It is still unclear whether the bill will be voted on, although its initiator – Yisrael Beiteinu Knesset Member David Rotem – insists on bringing it to the Knesset. “As long as there has been no vote on our appeal, the government cannot vote in favor of the law, and this applies to all coalition members,” a senior Shas official said Sunday. (Source: Ynet News)

Gedoley Hador Shlita have released a Kol Koreh against the IDF conversion track, while expressing support for marriage registrars who do not recognize former soldiers as Jews. A notice issued Tuesday morning in Charedi newspapers Yated Neeman and HaMevaser following the public and legal debate surrounding the legal and halachic validity of these conversions, claimed this was a way of “approving gentiles as Jews.” The Gedolim called on all those who can to protest and prevent such conversions. The Kol Koreh was signed by Rav Elyashiv, Rav Shteinman, Rav Nissim Karelitz and Rav Shmuel Auerbach Shlita. The Kol Koreh was a direct attack aimed at Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar. Last month the chief rabbi issued a notice in which he referred positively to IDF conversions, and was immediately singled out by the Gedolim. The chief rabbi’s notice was issued after the State’s representative said during a High Court debate that IDF conversion officials had no authority and that the conversions were not approved by the Chief Rabbinate. In his response, Amar surveyed many years of cooperation between the civil and military rabbinate, and called on the Justice Ministry to regulate the administrative aspects of the issue. Amar wrote – noting historical fact – that for many years the Chief Rabbinate had married off graduates of the army’s conversion track, and said the Chief Rabbinate council will convene to discuss the issue from a halachic point of view. Amar’s granting of legitimacy to the IDF track and the interpretations given to his words sparked the wave of protest. Have you checked out YWN Radio yet? Click HERE to listen! (Source: Ynet)