When the Interior Ministry was run by Shas people complained about the Ministry, now it's run by a secular Minister, a person who obviously did a proper conversion according to halacha is refused citizenship.

some modern Rabbi have to redo their conversion because of their sincerity of their conversion and not accepting all the Torah commandments if they want to be accepted by Orthodox Jews. But who is the "Interior Ministry" to give an approval if he was approved by Orthodox Rabbis and looks and acts more Jewish than the hundreds of insincere converts in Israel who have nothing Jewish about them. Why doesn't the Interior Minister go after them?

I wouldn't be surprised if he was a hidden Jew. I'm very happy that my Mother had all her papers in order since she converted,and it's all Kosher

but a true Russian convert converted according to Torah is refused citizenship. These are the same Secular Zionist racists who refused religious Jews' entry into Israel during the Holocaust.

Here is a person who converted to Judaism after studying 10 years. Now if that is not commitment, I don't know what is. Meanwhile, Orthodox Jews who hate the State of Israel can come there with no problem. It's total insanity! And that's why I don't live there anymore.

but true converted Jews are refused. Reminds me of secular Zionists refusal entry of religious Jews after the Holocaust. Typical Zionists haters of religous Jews.

I why his (Jewish) wife has no status under the law of return. I thought that, in principle, every Jew, converted or not was eligible to migrate to Israel. And while this is still hurtful, countries in general are HIGHLY sensitive to forged documents in order to gain entrance, and not just Israel. There are Western countries where you would promptly recieve a live-long ban if you ever pulled a stunt like this. It remains with you until the day you go. And I know it sounds harsh and the matter should be looked into by a proper judge, but I don't thing the interior ministry's refusal to be as objectionable to some talkbackers here who only see it as an attack on the religious.

he actually looks jewish

Ministry of the Interior is on weak grounds because nobody has defined what "Jew" means. To me it means culture while religion is completely irrelevant. Israel needs to define who is a Jew and write a Constitution. Without a constitution Israel is ideologically like a leaf blowing in the wind, unclear and undefined by its own doing.

How about people who convert but do not look Jewish? That is one aspect of the argument and the other is why doesn't the government figure out that these media outlets are chalk full of potential olim who read these horror stories of converts being treated like trash and cancel any thought of making aliyah to a country who offers NO baseline functional immigration process that is uniform and legally balanced. Why would anybody risk relocating to Israel, investing in Israel and establishing a life in Israel when suddenly the government can knock on your door and tell you to be out of the country in 2 weeks? Or how about the arbitrary assignment and unassignment of conversions? If any ordained Beit Din recognizes a conversion, then you are a Jew, period. I suffered this BS as a convert for years before I renounced the renouncers. I once had deep interest in being more observant and more religious. After ten or fifteen years of experiencing the puzzled looks ("she just wants a husband") , the suspicion ("Why is she gung-ho about studying, we don't do that, Christians do that"), rejection ("you don't look Jewish!") I stopped studying, stopped going to shul, stopped giving to Jewish charities and started enjoying Judaism away from organized religion. Instead of becoming Orthodox, I now participate here and there with a tiny congregation of ultra-liberal Reformers who at least welcome me on holidays. Go figure--I'll bet there are thousands of converts out there who grew weary of the rejection. I love being in Israel but tired of Jews patting themselves on the back for "welcoming the stranger" when nothing could be further from the truth for many people who love Judaism enough to make the huge changes it requires to convert. That many poster say he looks Jews, get a clue. Many Jews look like non-Jews and there is a reason.

and does Jewish look the same to everyone or does it look different to different people!

Because his wife is probably not recognized as Jewish also. I am an American Jew from Russian immigrants and although we are considered Jewish in US and in Russia (due to last name), Israel does not recognize this and I cannot seek citizenship in Israel. Bureaucracy at its best!

If you can prove your mother was born a Jewess,& her moher was a Jewess, you are considered a Jew.

Gabriel, I completely agree with your post. Nothing else to add except then to advise the writer of the post # 13 to read your message again. Mr. Wolstein lied twice by using forged documents. He didn't have to commit this crime in the first place. The Jews from the Soviet Union were doomed to suffer more then anyone else. They were discriminated in the USSR and they were not welcomed in Israel. If in the USSR they were denied any freedom of religion but were treated as of the Jewish ethnicity even many of them were not the Jews according to the Jewish Laws, in Israel their ethnicity is scrutinized even many of them associated themselves only as the Jews. This dilemma is solvable only by religious conversion. But because these people for several generations were living in an atheist society for many of them religion is as wrong as the statement that 'the earth is flat". It will take long till this question will be settled.

nicely expressed,but i would change constitution by Tora.

As a Ukrainian, I can tell you. He looks stereotypically Eastern European. What do you think everyone in Eastern Europe is blonde? tall? look at the picture of him standing in the yeshiva...slav through and through.

Someone who loves Judaism and Israel, feels a deep attachment to the Jewish people, identifies as a Jew, has converted to Judaism by some Jewish movement or community and wants to live in the State of Israel (with all of the joys, sacrifices, and struggles that that entails) should be welcomed with open arms, encouraged, and thanked. Regardless of religious observance! The idea that a Reform or a Conservative conversion is invalid, is absurd, because that means the Judaism of millions of Jews (and the majority of American Jews who provide significant support to Israel) is completely invalid. With so few Jews in the world, why create unnessecary boundaries? Why divide the Jewish people more than needed? The only thing more absurd than that is the idea that to be Israeli, the convert must be religious and observant. Being religious is not a pre requiste for being Israeli! If secular non observant Jews, whether with two Jewish parents, one Jewish parents or just one Jewish grandparent, can make aliyah and contribute to this country without being religious...so can somone who chose to be Jewish without any familial connection!!!

and to them..a black man with a kipa is what a jew is supposed to look like. obviously... the "sterotypical" "ashkenazi" look is only one way to looke jewish! have any of these people been to Israel?! Jews are all so different looking!!!

Now we're orphans. So-called religious Jews maltreated us as "converts" contrary to Torah, made us orphans contrary to Torah, and now maltreat us as orphans -- all contrary to Torah. Meanwhile, we persist in following Torah.

The interior ministry's problem is not his conversion, it's that he used false papers before, and a number of times if this article is right. That's a no-no in ANY country, regardless of his religion. That being said, he seems really determined and sincere and maybe the fact that he lied to the state before could be looked at more kindly.

I am aware of that but since they were married at an orthodox congregation in The Ukraine, I assumed the rabbinical authorities over there already made sure that she was...even if he himself is a convert. I wouldn't assume that they would place an honest convert under the chuppah with someone who's Jewishness was under question.

If the Israeli Chief Rabbinate approves his conversion then either he or the Rabbinate should go to the High Court.

I would not care what anyone says. A Jew's relationship is with the creator; every thing else is community. G-d bless the convert, G-d bless our father Abraham.

Very similar circumstances, though I thought my heritage was adequate, they did not. Someone sent me a photo of my grandfather's tombstone to submit to them (they were looking that deep) and they called it a forgery. At any rate, nothing else matters and they left us twisting in the wind for years before even telling us why we were denied. I suppose we will have to live out our lives as Jews in America.