The American Jewish Committee says
in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
that the organization is ‘deep concern over recent reports of the proposal put forward by Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar to remove converts from the jurisdiction of the Law of Return.’
Ynet recently reported that Sephardic Rabbi Amar presented Olmert with a draft bill aimed at rendering Reform conversions invalid for immigration to Israel and granting citizenship.
| Getting Tough on Conversions |
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| Sephardic rabbi wants tougher conversions / Ynet |
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Rabbi Shlomo Amar presents draft bill to Prime Minister Olmert aimed at toughening conversions to Judaism, tightening immigration laws |
| Full Story |
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The Chief Rabbinate said the bill is "a move aimed at preventing a situation where there are two peoples in the State of Israel."
As a first step Amar wants the clause "or we’ll convert" to be omitted from the Law of Return. Amar wants the law to stop being applied on all conversions: Reform, Conservative or Orthodox.
“The proposal is an unacceptable attempt to delegitimize the Judaism of the majority of American Jews,” the AJC letter says. “As such, it will be a blow to Israel- Diaspora relations that could not come at a more damaging time. The commitment of American Jewry to the survival and well-being of Israel is more vital now than ever.
“The work of the American Jewish Committee and other organizations to mobilize American Jews in support of the State of Israel in the crucial struggles that lie ahead could be seriously undermined if many in our constituency are alienated,” according to the organization.
The letter further states that, ‘the proposal is manifestly unfair to converts, particularly those who live outside the State of Israel. Once the principle is established that Israel's official rabbinate will review all conversions no matter where they take place, no converts from any denomination who live outside of Israel would ever be secure in the knowledge that their conversions are final and that they are assured of the Jewish status of children born to them after such a conversion.”
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