since when are religious questions like this under the jurisdiction of the (secular) state? why would the knesset want to intervene in a halakhic question of proper conversion? while it is clear to anyone outside the reality distortion field of the ultra-religious that this decision to retroactively annul conversions is outrageously wrong, it is very much not obvious how best to fix it. every bit of halakha regarding converts forbids this sort of singling out and discrimination. if a convert's level of observance can be questioned, what's to stop this same court from annulling the jewishness of all non-observant jews? or even observant jews, but who follow different customs? will they drive out sefardic jews next, or hassidim? such divisiveness MUST be stopped before it can destroy k'lal yisrael. but the resolution must come from somewhere other than the knesset - the rabbis have dabbled enough in politics already. it must come from the majority of k'lal yisrael, religious and secular, who must come together to save the beit din from its own foolishness.

must be nullfied. The Jewish nation do not need goyim in OUR midst.

This ruling has no basis in Jewish law. Get the Heredi idiots out of the courts and obey the commandments not to vex the stranger among us or the ger!

Pass a law requiring all government officials to have served in the army or national service. The Rabbinical courts are government agency. Thus we can stop these religious fanatics from destroying our religion and country.

that the people who are "outraged" at Rabbi Sherman bothered to read his Psak. Had they read it, their anger, if honest, might actually be turned to someone else.

Fraud is fraud is fraud even if the whole knesset votes for it. Come to think of it , they might. Fake conversions are fake. Mr Pines ought to remember his late namesake who was involved in a scam 120 years ago (the Mazkeret Moshe scandal), ran away to America and died of neglect because no-one wanted to talk to someone with an obscene name.

An Obscene suggestion from an obscene politician. A law to protect fraud?

The problem is the misuse of the power by some judges. It also happens in the secular system, but there it would be difficult if not impossible to pass similar legislation. Imagine a High Court unable to overrule legislation or actions of lower courts? Couldn't happen because it would break the system completely.

Well sorry to be the one not to agree with your little plan for inflicting your so called morals on the entire nation and global domination but you have lost the battle my dear.

That is what happens when you mix politics and religion. The whole notion of a governmental religious body is ridiculous because the two sets of legislature don't mix! It is time that judicial and concerned Rabinical courts were set up that exemplified Jewish and Halachic values and not mouth pieces of Islamic like Judaism.

you idiots! these are legitimate conversions! it isn't the "stupid hareidim" causing problems! it is the apikoros doing sham conversions. THESE AREN'T KOSHER CONVERSIONS. kosher converts are accepted. stop being stupid. most of the people who oppose the annulling of these conversions are religious and don't understand the situation

It must come from the majority .......You wrote . The Knesseth is this place where the Israelis are represented . Regarding what happens abroad , they have their own rules , sometimes different , and do not obey Israeli laws .

Your statement is no less sad than those of some of the goyim throughout the centuries as regards the Jews in their countries; with disastrous results for everybody in most cases. I might add, too, that in some places even today it takes a lot of courage for a goy to convert to Judaism. In some families that's about as welcome as a son's announcement that he's gay: Not at all! Last but not least, there is the Story of Ruth. Applying today's standards of some people retroactively, David would have to be reduced to having been nothing more than just another Moabite with a Jewish background. Wouldn't that ever make a mess of history??? Instead of depending on who issued which piece of paper, wouldn't it be better to base one's judgment on what's in a person's heart or how they live their life?

Not any easy piece of legislation to introduce or to pass. But sadly necessary. Let's hope it will be instrumental in eventually bringing the various sects of Judaism together to reach a consensus on the divinity of the texts. As an archaeologist and Reform Jew myself I feel this is a moment of truth for all Israelis and Jews around the world to read a little more outside of the Tanaak and find what Jewish academics have been concerning themselves with with for two centuries already. The divinity of the texts of the Torah is subject and object of religious and academic interpretation. Archaeology tends to support the academic interpretation where the divinity is concerned. This does not mean the end. It is a beginning of new understanding of the moral value we place on the texts. Just as the secular State of Israel is a new beginning for Jewish people. The world needs what Jewish people have ..... an open mind. For without our sense of reason and conscience, our sense of Tikun Olam, our sense of moral objectivity how can this world develop its international religious tolerance sustainably. We cannot raise our children on myths. It is a crime against their humanity. We cannot send our troops to fight for false hopes or ideas we cannot reasonably defend. We cannot contend with Muslims and Christians over issues of divinity and morality if we do not exercise academic praxis within our own society. Judaism is a word with many definitions but one GOD. GOD wants us to know and abide in truth. The bad news is some of our ancient scribes and their rulers conned our ancestors. The good news is we are vindicated in our commitment to truth and in our faith in good works. We all speak the same language. It has been the language of many scriptures. Hopefully the Knesset will write another law for us all and bring Jews and Israel together more closely in the correct interpretation of national legalism.

a secular court has to rule over Beit Din ruling.??? Absolutly none. The ruling to void convertions are terrible and I feel it since I am a Ger myself. But the decision was made and we are waiting for the religious entity to fix it. Not a secular ruling, not a reform or conservative, but the chief rabbinate to make a stance on this matter. Cases should at my considerations be reviewed as per case and not in bulk. Baruch H! Dayan ha Emet!!!

I think that each case should be judged separately. I feel that those who converted but do not practice Judaism should have their conversion cancelled. I've met some people who converted halachically but reverted to practicing Xtianity. We don't need them, they are not Jews.

has given. The Rabbis who want to take back conversion approvals believe in a works salvation instead of salvation from the Lord.

Then what do you do with Jewish Atheists????

Usually I oppose the Rabbinate in Israel. However I'm not completely opposed to annuling conversions. There need to be limits. A woman should not have her annulment revoked for wearing pants. However a person who converted simply to gain entry to Israel from the FSU should not be considered a Jew. Unfortunately I don't think that the Israeli rabbinate is competent enough to make this distinction. One thing I would like to see come out of this is some application to the agunah issue. Beis Din is able to annul a marriage (see Gittin 33a) And if the Rabbinate feels comfortable revoking someone's Jewishness completely, they should feel comfortable annuling the performance of a single mitzvah!

If you annul conversions of those who are not Shomrei Tora uMisvot, you also annul the Jewish identity of children born to such marriages- making them into Mamzerim or Goyim. Punishing the child for the presumed Chet of the parent is not only a gross violation of Tora, it is a violation of human decency. Besides, if we're worried about us Jews becoming a minority in our own country, why are we on a witchhunt to actively de-Jew people? This is suicidal...

FAKE conversions are mere fakes. no different from fake driving licences or fake medical degrees, and no less dangerous. Warning victims of fraud that they were befrauded, is preferable to whitewashing the fraud.

The convert-haters in this thread would do well to read Torah, and realize the error in their strident denunciations. They do not know the punishment they will receive in Olam Haba for hating converts now, so the sinat chaim crowd should repent before they certainly find out.

You ignore the fact that it was the Knesset that established The Chief Rabbinate. That fact gives it the power to regulate it.

they become part of the JEWISH body of Yeshua who grafted people outside the Covenant with Abraham onto the Jewish tree of faith with Jewish roots by hanging on the tree himself as an atonement (at-one-ment)?

You need to check your rambam: he rules that a convert becomes obligated in torah and mitzvot upon their conversion and that the only way out for them is the sword. Not via annulment of the conversion - by the sword. What is more, the only halachic reason you can annul a conversion is proving they committed fraud upon the beit din that converted them. The standard for that is not merely "they don't keep Torah and Mitzvot," but rather, they intentionally deceived the beit din at the time of the conversion. If they fry out they are no different that a born Jew who fried out - they are Jews who must do teshuvah. Don't open your mouth unless you understand the issue in its entirety. I'm a convert, a black hat, am hareidi with a job, and I'm still fighting with the rabbinate over my and my wife's status. Arbitrary policies do ruin people's lives. I have two daughters, born Jewish, attending orthodox schools, and yet, the current rabbinate policy may force them to go through a perfidious conversion and pasul them to cohanim - when they were born, according to the Torah and Talmud, as Jewish as the day is long. As any orthodox beit din other than the rabbinate and they will say there's no question we're all Jewish (including hareidi beit dins) and yet, there, you have it. And we're frum! A convert who doesn't keep Torah is a Jewish sinner who needs to do Teshuvah - not a goy.

My sincere apologise to you and your whole family on what you must be going through. This is a travesty. I agree that those who decive the Rabbinate should be annulled, but this is a case of politics and personnel enmity between the parties. My question to you though, as a Chareidi, is where is your leadership? Where is Rav Elyashiv and other Rabbonim standing up against this and annuling the courts ruling? Arn't they the poskei Hador. Why have they remained silent? I am a frum Jew - although not Chareidi - and am ashamed that this is how authentic Judaism is being portrait. It is time to put an end to Charedi monopoly on Judaism and allow those that believe in both God and the dignity of humankind to lead.