Search
Close this search box.

Another Conversion Controversy Brewing? State Shuns IDF Geirus


IDF conversions are not being performed by rabbinical judges and were not approved by the Chief Rabbinate, an attorney for the State told the High Court of Justice during a hearing Monday.

The implication of the remarks is that roughly 4,500 conversions performed by the army in recent years are now shrouded in doubt, and the soldiers in question may not be able to wed in line with Jewish law.

“Conversions are taking place, I don’t know for how many years, and the certificates are being handed over without any supervision,” the attorney said. “As it turns out, some kind of establishment was set up, and nobody at the Chief Rabbinate monitors it in any way.”

Major General Elazar Stern, who was present at the hearing, asked to speak at the session and expressed his puzzlement over the attorney’s words. Upon leaving the court he harshly slammed her for “uttering an irresponsible remark, which may harm thousands of people for no reason.”

Sources familiar with the conversion issues also dismissed the attorney’s remarks, saying that most army conversions are performed by senior military rabbis or conversion court judges who perform their military reserve service in that role.

(Read More: Ynet)



6 Responses

  1. #1 Kasha,

    That is a lie. These IDF conversions are done by Orthodox rabbis after a formal conversion program and they are done individually and not “mass”.

    And in any case, there is absolutely nothing in halachah that would permit a mass annulment of conversions, nor is there any precedent for it at any time in our history. I do not see how someone who supports annulling thousands of conversions “en masse” can be considered orthodox. Making up halachah so you can do what you want is what the heterodox movements do.

  2. #2 & #3: What do either of you know about Hilchos Geirus??? “Conversion” with no intention to accept Mitzvos is not valid even ex post facto as clear in the Rambam and other Rishonim. That is exactly the issue here and most of these “conversions” are totally invalid.

  3. hello99,

    If even a single one of these conversions is valid, you are over an issur d’oraita by questioning it other than before a beit din in a specific circumstance. And as the rabbis doing the conversions are orthodox, they have a chazakah that they are doing the right thing until proven otherwise.

    Also, there is one opinion that bdieved kabalat hamitzvot is not required, that of Rav Uziel z’tz’l. AFAIK he is a daat yachid.

Leave a Reply


Popular Posts