Conversion in Eretz HaKodesh: JFNA Seeks to Undermine Halacha

In my email today, I along with probably many readers received the communication below from Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). The email addresses the conversion bill now in consideration in Knesset which would place all conversions in Israel officially in the hands of the Chief Rabbinate. The Jewish people will only be blessed when the State of Israel advocates the keeping of Halacha and doing mitzvos. What Jew could possibly disagree with this idea? Halacha and mitzvos are the core of Judaism.

I fundamentally oppose the position taken by JFNA and encourage readers to submit the APRPEH suggested letter at the bottom of this post which can be found after the JFNA communique and the letter JFNA suggests be sent to the PMO.

JFNA URGES PM NETANYAHU AND OTHERS TO HALT CONVERSION BILL

July 14, 2010

The Jewish Federations of North America, with the Jewish Agency and other partners, are leading a concerted and high-profile advocacy campaign to stop a bill in the Knesset that could prevent some Diaspora Jews from gaining automatic Israeli citizenship as immigrants.

These efforts are the latest phase of an initiative that began this winter, when a Knesset member proposed revising the Law of Return. Though the change was initially aimed at giving local Israeli rabbis greater authority, it carried the potential effect of threatening to delegitimize those who converted to Judaism through the Conservative and Reform movements and preclude conferring citizenship under the Law of Return to those who did not qualify for such status on prior visits.

This Sunday, the Knesset member, David Rotem of the Yisrael Beitenu Party, advanced a newer version with stronger language giving the Orthodox-run Chief Rabbinate full control over conversions in Israel and urging that any convert "accepts the yoke of mitzvot according to halacha."

The Knesset Law Committee on Sunday approved the bill on first reading, sending it to the full Knesset plenum, where it would require three readings and approval before becoming law.

On Sunday, The Jewish Federations of North America's President and CEO Jerry Silverman, Senior Vice President Rebecca Caspi, and JAFI Chair Natan Sharansky, along with representatives of the liberal religious streams, began a major advocacy campaign to prevent the measure from advancing. JFNA is also urging Federations to appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the issue (see below).

This advocacy involves daily strategy meetings, attending the Knesset committee session, meeting with Knesset members including Rotem and speaking out publicly through Israeli and international media.

In addition, Silverman and JFNA Chair Kathy Manning, along with the JFNA Coordinating Council of professional and lay leaders, have sent Prime Minister Netanyahu two strongly worded letters urging him and members of his Likud Party to speak out publicly against the proposal.

Until now the prime minister has not done so, though he did reportedly tell The Jerusalem Post he thought the bill would not pass.

On Tuesday, Silverman, Caspi and the 125 members of the JFNA Campaign Chairs & Directors Mission now visiting Israel also met with Israel's President, Shimon Peres, about this important issue. Peres called for greater dialogue on the proposed bill so that discussions embrace both Diaspora and Israeli Jews (click here for JFNA's briefing with his remarks).

JFNA is also leading an e-mail effort among Federations and their partners urging Prime Minister Netanyahu to oppose the bill. To read more background on the conversion bill and to send Netanyahu a prepared letter (or edit the letter before sending), click here.

JFNA will continue to keep Federations informed about the conversion proposal as developments occur.

The letter JFNA suggested that should be sent to PM Binyamin Netanyahu follows:

To: Prime Minister Netanyahu
Re: Conversion Bill

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

I am writing to you regarding the controversial conversion bill currently before the Knesset.

The language used in this bill is highly problematic. This bill raises issues about the chief rabbinate having full authority over conversions and includes new language about the stringent commitment to halacha. Finally, it changes the 62-year agreement over the Law of Return, which could in turn drive a deep wedge between the Jewish State and Diaspora Jews. This could significantly affect our ability to connect and inspire varying parts of our community around Clal Yisrael.

I know you are aware of the deep sense of concern this proposal has stirred among Diaspora Jews. If successful, this bill will damage the Diaspora-Israel relationship and create significant long-term impacts. We urge you and members of your Likud party to speak out against this legislation now, before it proceeds further.

I hope you will show your concern for the unity of the Jewish People and work with the Knesset and the leadership of the Jewish Diaspora to amend the bill in a way that is acceptable to Jews across the world.

With respect,

The APRPEH suggested letter:



B"H

Dear Mr. Prime Minister,

I am writing to you regarding the courageous effort underway in Knesset to maintain a universal standard in Jewish conversion. The bill before the Knesset is being viewed by many non-Orthodox in the United States as divisive and controversial. Some say it has the potential for alienating American Jews who have not yet realized that Halacha already prescribes only one way for someone to join the Jewish people. I appeal to you as a fellow Jew to be strong and to support the conversion bill in its current form. To not maintain the Halachic standard of conversion would be to undermine the consistency and simplicity of the only standard for conversion accepted universally by all Jews for most of our modern and ancient history. The variations that exist today in the United States for conversion, if forced upon Israel would cause severe damage to the state and to the Jewish people. These variations have contributed to a negative Jewish population shift in North America, a resistance to Jewish culture and a distancing of many Jews from the interests of Medinat Yisrael. These phenomenon have occurred in correlation with the non-Orthodox structure being the dominant Jewish force in the United States. Interestingly, those arguing against the Conversion bill are saying that its passage into law would result in those very same phenomenon. This is the best evidence as to why passage of the Conversion bill is necessary. These backwards trends must be reversed. They will only be reversed when the standards of who is a Jew are strengthened, not weakened. We Jews are rational, yet spiritual. Rationality born by convenience and access to non-Jewish culture conceived in non-Jewish religions has been winning the day in North America for far too long. As the Jewish spiritual homeland, Israel must lead the way to spiritual revival of Jewry world-wide. That effort will be enhanced, not weakened by reinforcing in law the Halachic standard for conversion. World-wide, Jews look to Israel for spiritual leadership. Failing to provide it will sanction their looking elsewhere. This is the true struggle beneath the surface of this discussion. The halachic standard for conversion is an eye-opening moment for Jews world-wide, especially for many of those in North America who have grown accustomed to creating their own standards and rules - kashering them within the structure of "movements". Israel will only garner increased respect and support, not less for telling the truth and doing what is right by the vision of our sages and prophets and in the eyes of Heaven.


With wishes of comfort in this season of national mourning,

Jerusalem, the Eternal Capital

Knesset Majority: ‘Don’t Divide Jerusalem!’

by Hana Levi Julian
7 Cheshvan 5768, October 19, '07

(IsraelNN.com) More than half of Knesset Members from both the opposition and the coalition factions have signed a petition against plans to hand over parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority.

The document rejects plans to relinquish Israel’s sovereignty over holy sites in the Old City and the City of David, just outside the Old City walls, as well as possible intentions to give eastern Jerusalem’s Arab neighborhoods to the PA.

Likud MK Yisrael Katz and other Likud MKs spearheaded the drive, and they were quickly joined by nearly 30 coalition MKs, including thirteen members of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s own Kadima party and all of Shas.

Two Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) MKs, David Rotem and Esterina Tartman, signed the petition, as did Yoram Marciano of Labor - the only Labor MK to do so. Four ministers also signed the petition, including Yaakov Edry and Ze’ev Boim of the Kadima party, and two others from the Gil Pensioners’ party.

“It is possible that Olmert could divide Jerusalem and we would have to face that reality, but it’s illegitimate, especially since he’s putting Jerusalem on the agenda to distract from his other problems,” said Likud MK Reuven Rivlin.

Olmert: Knesset Not Necessary
The prime minister asserted earlier this month that he does not need the Knesset’s approval to reach a joint declaration with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, including one that might include an agreement to hand over parts of Jerusalem to the PA. He has said that Jerusalem is not currently on the negotiating table, but several plans to divide the capital have emerged from Olmert’s close associates.

Prime Minister Olmert denied reports earlier in the week that his government planned to give away parts of the sacred capital, but avoided specifically defining the city limits, giving rise to speculation that he indeed intends to give up Israel’s control over some of Jerusalem.

Summit Still Not Certain
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said she would meet again today (Friday) with PA negotiators in an attempt to come to a pre-summit agreement. Abbas said this week that the PA's participation in the US-sponsored summit was not a certainty, and that the PA would not retreat from its demands for a joint detailed pre-summit declaration with Israel. Israel insists on only a general declaration, with details to be ironed out later.

additional references

Jpost story

Israel Hasbara Committee

JTA

Ynet

Interesting David Bedein analysis

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from Jewish Virtual Library

Who actually trusts Ehud Olmert anymore? I do not engage this discussion lightly with the implications for loshon hara, but really? What does Olmert think of when he says "Jerusalem"?. Is it merely the Jewish communities held after 1949 but not those post 1967? Does it include the Kosel? Har HaBayis? Har Zesim? Har HaZofim? In his mind he clearly distinguishes between dividing as in down the middle, and separating out areas he considers non-vital.

'What is Jerusalem' is a question which will be a significant one in future debates over agreements which Olmert might bring to the Knesset and world Jewry. One can expect that Olmert has already had detailed discussions with Abu Mazen as to what part of Jerusalem he is willing to give away and what parts for political expediency he is unwilling to transfer.

The opposition to "dividing" Jerusalem is not as strong as the above articles might portray. The nationalist side and the left who are now signing on to "no division" have different interpretations of what that means as outlined above. Olmert probably has more support than the media is portraying. Shimon Peres, for his part, the President of Israel, expresses Olmert's position better than Olmert, being "Jerusalem must retain its Jewish majority" (see the Ynet article above).

This is of course a red herring for the socialist Peres who cares little about the Jewish majority deferring to the politics of ethnicity as defined by Israelism. What is more or less "Jewish" about any specific area of Jerusalem, he might say, is less important than what we are politically able to explain from a tactical perspective.

Nationalists and significant majorities of Jews world-wide understand that cities grow or shrink due to population change. As the population of Jerusalem has grown, housing must be added. To presume that a municipality cannot expand is ludicrous. After Israel gained control over Jerusalem in 1967 the city was proclaimed the eternal capital, never to be divided (see The OU position). And that proclamation is merely a modern stamp of approval on what is clearly declared throughout TaNaKh.

It is indeed the atheism of Peres and Olmert which obfuscates the truth of united Jerusalem. It is the same lack of faith which stands by and watches the Waqf tear through what appears to be remnant walls of the Beis HaMikdash today, overturning dirt which has covered ruins for thousands of years. On a side note, I have wondered about the Halachic implications (if there are any) of the Arabian desecration of the Temple ruins. Within approximately the last 10 years, Jews have been exposed to actual ruins of the Beis HaMikdash, areas unseen since the days the Rabbis of the Gemara were living. I wonder if additional mourning rituals might apply, as if a grave were to be exhumed? If not, maybe we should?

Digression over.

Jerusalem has been portrayed as a politically divisive and therefore, an off the table point of discussion from the beginning of the era of negotiations with the Arabian palis. It was shoved away to the end of the negotiation period thinking that, if all the other issues can be resolved, surely we will not let Jerusalem get in the way?

Wrong. Jerusalem will never be negotiable and if it means throwing out an end of conflict agreement, so be it. Judaism cannot justify a hand over of Jerusalem.

This could be a test for today similar to the tests we are now returning to in the parashios of Bereshis facing Avraham Avinu. Jews may indeed grow from this test as is the implication of the test itself, an opportunity to release the pintele Yid inside. We ask HaShem for a return to and growth in Yiddishkeit by all Jews, hanging on until now if only for the memory of Jerusalem, the focal point of our prayers and where heaven and earth touch with a kiss. The alternative could be too devastating to consider.

Gridlock

Haaretz Poll: Netanyahu top rated for being PM, Labor-Kadima coaltion wouldn't beat Likud (lead by Livni would squeak by)

Friday, August 10, 2007
Dr Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

Poll carried out on 7 August, sample of 477 adult Israelis (Including
Israeli Arabs). Sample error +/- 5.4 percentage points
results for Knesset seats based on the 70% of those polled who knew who they
would vote for.

Are you satisfied with he performance of FM Livni? Yes 48% No 36% Other 16%
Are you satisfied with the performance of DM Barak? Yes 30% No 39% Other 30%

Percent who said the following were "very" or "considerably" appropriate for
the position of prime minister:
Netanyahu 51% Barak 36% Livni 40% Olmert 18%

Do you Justify the refusal of soldiers to evacuate settlers in Hebron:
Yes 32% No 57% Other 11%

Knesset seats if elections held under various scenarios:Party(leader)
Labor(Barak) 25 Kadima (Olmert) 13 Likud(Netanyahu) 30
Labor(Barak) 22 Kadima(Livni)21 Likud(Netanyahu) 29
Labor-Kadima(Barak) 32 Likud(Netanyahu) 33
Labor-Kadima(Olmert) 27 Likud(Netanyahu) 33
Labor-Kadima(Livni) 34 Likud(Netanyahu) 32]

(more commentary at the source, IMRA)

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What is for certain, the next Knesset will be just as ineffective and indecisive as the previous ones in terms of dealing with the arab problem. The current Knesset looks like this:Click Each Box to Enlarge





Knesset
2006 election results
If you enlarge the chart, (there are four separate graphics) you will see that to form a 61 seat majority out of 120 seats, coalition building is a necessity. What is demonstrated by the poll results is that while the majority factions may flip-flop, the basic congestion caused by the inability of any one party or philosophy to dominate leaves a government unable to govern, without a strong foundation to act.

The electoral process in Israel remains broken. While one could argue that the Israeli electoral system provides for a greater opportunity for minority opinions to be heard, the process pushes coalition building into the government as opposed to the party level where it really should be. If the threshold for receiving a mandate would be dramatically higher, larger political blocs would form and prevent the Knesset gridlock that now exists. This is a scary proposition if you are a supporter or member of a smaller party. However, this is what free country politics is all about. You will never have a perfect match, but you become much better at setting priorities.

What remains to be seen is which of the smaller parties will have a break through year (if any). Break through political years do not result in permanent political changes, but do mean a more convoluted coalition building process. In the past Shas, Center Party, Shinui, Pensioners, Yisrael Beitenu (probably others) have had break through years. If history holds true, both Pensioners and Yisrael Beitenu will roughly fall away 35%-50% (or more) in the next election (estimate)with the voters likely returning to from where ever they came. Yisrael Beitenu may fall harder after joining the government mainstreaming itself from it's expected ideological foundation. Who comes up next? There is no evidence of a surging smaller party from the poll here, but one wonders when the National Union/NRP will finally make a serious run. Who knows? The poll could be entirely wrong and Kadima is wiped out in the upcoming election. Such is not a radical result based upon past electoral performance.

"De-Judaization"

US Jewish groups lobby against JNF bill

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Michal Lando, THE JERUSALEM POST Jul. 28, 2007

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The Reform Movement and other liberal Jewish groups are urging the Knesset not to move forward with legislation that would prohibit Arab Israelis from leasing land owned by the Jewish National Fund.

A preliminary reading of the bill, which was approved by a 64-16 margin last week, would allow the Israel Lands Authority to bar Israeli Arabs from leasing any land that it manages. The JNF owns 13 percent of the land in Israel, much of which was paid for by Diaspora Jews.

In 1962, the JNF reached an agreement with the Israel Lands Authority, established in 1961, that allowed the ILA to manage JNF-owned land.

The current bill is intended to bypass a decision by Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz in support of a preliminary court ruling that said non-Jews could not be barred from leasing JNF lands.

The reasoning behind the bill, according to the JNF, is that "the land purchased by the Jewish people for the Jewish people should remain in the hands of its rightful owners."

"It's important for us who had a covenant with the donors, that we honor that covenant," said Russell Robinson, chief executive officer of JNF.

"For 2000 years, I don't remember that we were praying and dreaming that we can't wait to establish a democratic state in the Middle East, but we did say that we can't wait to reestablish a Jewish homeland."

Despite this, the bill has disappointed Israelis and Americans alike, and efforts to try and prevent the bill from moving forward are underway.

A letter on behalf of the board of directors of Ameinu, the US affiliate of the World Zionist Movement, addressed to MK Ze'ev Elkin (Kadima), expressed "profound disappointment" with the recent vote.

"At a time when Israel is trying to show the world that there is no contradiction between a Jewish state and a democratic one, every effort must be made to enforce the principle of equality and equal opportunity for all Israeli citizens," the letter states.

Though Amienu recognizes the "complexities of the situation" at a time of tensions between Israel's Jewish and Arab populations, Israel should demonstrate that the Israeli Arabs "have a stake in the country's future," the letter states.

"The bill is not only unfair to one fifth of Israel's population; it also reinforces the growing perception around the world that Israel is an 'apartheid' state," the letter states.

The Reform Movement is in the process of drafting its own letter opposing the bill, to be sent to Knesset members this week.

"We are quite concerned by the letter and spirit of law," said Rabbi Andrew Davids, executive director of the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA.)

"This is not the time for Israel to be looking at policies that differentiate between different cohorts of its citizenry."

Though the JNF was entrusted with bringing a Jewish state into being, some institutions need to be "reevaluated," said Davids.

"What we are seeing is the maturation of an Israeli democratic society, and some institutions need to be reevaluated with regards to the current demographics. Israel will never be a state exclusively for Jews," he said.

The New Israel Fund also opposes the bill.

Other Diaspora activists, however, support the bill. ZOA President Morton Klein said he was "very disappointed that Jewish groups would not understand the unique circumstances in Israel."

"Israel is not America. It was created first as a Jewish state, where America was created first as [a] democracy," Klein said.

Klein pointed out other Israeli laws that give Jews privileges not available to non-Jewish Israeli citizens, such as aliya.

"Why don't they publicly complain that Jews can't purchase land anywhere in Jordan, our ally?" said Klein, arguing that in Jordan, selling land to a Jew is an offense punishable by death.

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Though the JNF was entrusted with bringing a Jewish state into being, some institutions need to be "reevaluated," said Davids.

"What we are seeing is the maturation of an Israeli democratic society, and some institutions need to be reevaluated with regards to the current demographics. Israel will never be a state exclusively for Jews," he said.

Do you spot the failure of lib-think in the above statement?

Mr. Davids is suggesting that he understands that in the past, Israel was "established" {by whom?} as Jewish, "nowadays" we can re-consider the mistakes of history with our bold vision of world peace, arabian and Jew walking side by side, sharing hummous and old stories like retirees in a convalescent home. He hides his dis-taste for things Jewish under the mis-leading feel goodism of "maturation". He closes his vagary with the thought that, after all, Israel will never be just for the Jews. Non-Jews live in Israel, always have and always will. What does this have to do with the equation of the JNF bill?

The YNET article does a better job explaining the current events in Israel which led to the writing of this legislation

MK Uri Ariel, who presented the bill, explained that "the Israel Land Administration manages the land for the JNF and holds the land in trusts. As the JNF's trustee, the ILA must be true to the fund's principles and goals and to the principle of national ownership of the land.

"For generations, thousands of Jews saved every cent in order to purchase land in the Land of Israel for the Jewish People. The ILA must honor Keren Kayemeth's goals and the wishes of generations of Jews, who wished to purchase land that would be sacred to the Jewish people."

MK Ze'ev Elkin attempted to justify the bill, saying "this bill proposal has come to do historic justice and prevent the State of Israel – with the blatant intervention of the High Court of Justice – from violating the basic pact it made with the JNF. Keren Kayemeth was established by the Jewish People in the Diaspora for a specific purpose, namely, Zionist settlement in the Land of Israel."

Leftist libbies are intervening in the trust of generations of Jews who have given money to the JNF for the purpose of planting trees, redeeming the land for the Jews and promoting Jewish settlement in the holy land of Israel. For once, we can say the Knesset has acted correctly. BTW, the preliminary reading of the bill passed by a 64-16 vote.

Another version of the story can be found here.