I'm sure others are thinking this as well and if not let me say it-- this is sheer pigheaded stupidity, completely against Israel's national interests. It is truly tragic that people like Rabbi Lau carry such weight when it comes to such considerations. The admission of even partially Jewish people to Israel will only grow and strengthen the Jewish nation. There will not be "interfaith" marriages to any significant extent-- Israel is where people assimilate into, not out, of Judaism.

Id call it scandalous These sweeping rules that take no account of the millions of individual stories of Jewish Identity and Self Discovery This isn't some sort of exclusive Lau Club with Membership Rules engineered to exclude those that don't conform to Laus introverted interpretations of Conversion Judaism belongs to all of us

if special benefits are NOT given to those who make aliya, I bet you anything that only Jews will come, the opportunists will no longer come!

you are the stupid one! Israel is for the JEws to live and thrive in! The goyim can live anywhere else in the world! We don't need to encourage assimilation-to allow and encourage children who are not brought up with strong Jewish values, to find their with goyim. We are encouraging just this, as goyim can appear very nice and very sympathetic to all the problems of Jewish youth, and then that JEwish youths heart gets ensnared, are LOST forever! sad, but true those who think otherwise are not only stupid but fookish!

What have these leaches done for Israel except sew division and undermine Israel in every way possible without contributing a shekel of tax? All Jews including the insufficiently religious are welcome, the absurdly religious are not.

David, I absolutely agree with you point!

In Israel I refuse to be called "Yehudi" but I am proud to be Israeli.

Not all jews are religious. I prefare the Jews who love ISRAEL. The jews who will not harm ISRAEL by their fanatical religious belief. I prefare Jews who stand by ISRAEL and dont criticize -all efforts so that all of us have the right to return to our homeland.

All governments must be aware of an explosion of people coming to their countries. The country may be rich, or organized, but if there is no planning, there is a chance of illegal construction of slums, increase of violence and criminality, water resources, sanitary resources. No country is totally prepared for that. Imagine if all Jewish and Jewish descendants in the world decide to move to Israel? Caos will reign. God bless you all and help you to make the right decision. Greetings from Brazil.

Yes, of course it is stupid. Let all tens of millions of people who have a Jewish ancestor move to Israel and fight Arabs )): ... What a circus has it all become!

When it comes to who is jewish or not, the woman is the most important thing but when it comes to treating women with respect on the bus suddenly only men count.

In a time when Israel faces an increasing threat of annihilation through war and with swindling numbers overall, Israel and the rabbinate ought to be doing all in their power to increase the number of Jews in any way, shape or form. Israel needs (at least in my opinion) to roll back centuries of refusal to actively proselytise and become a lot more 'evangelical' in outlook and draw people into the faith rather than simply letting non-Jews remain just that.

ISRAEL, in order to survive the next 3-5 years, MUST make the ultras/rabbinate release their death grip from the throat of Israel's societal make up. It can't be allowed to have a VERY BIG SIGN SAYING "Jews Only" and "THEY" pick who is Jewish and not..! STOP THE DISGRACE STOP the Rabbinate's arrogance, power grab, welfare state and 5th column. Stop the failure of the gov't to STOP THE TYRANNY of a few CRAZEE black hatted "dinckleberries" who have elevated themselves to enrich themselves at a huge cost to the state's progress and DEMOCRACY... BY definition the Rabbinate is an enemy of the democratic state.

The Law of Return was set up many years ago, with good reason. The State was in its infancy, and in order to gather the remnants of European Jewry, a special law was passed to enable them immediate access to the only country in the world that would welcome them. However, the world has changed. Israel is now a mini-superpower, and the time for a change to the LoT is now required. Anyone who wants to throw their lot in with the people of Israel and who is willing to pay taxes, and serve in the army, should be made welcome. Any law that restricts state membership on the basis of religion is essentially racist and discriminatory, and deserves no place in a modern democracy. And if the religious establishment doesn't like it, fine. Let them continue to live in the Stone Age.

treated in the US the same as Non-jews are treated in israel.

I think we need to be very careful about this. The Orthodox are not Jewish enough for the Haredi, and the Conservative are not Jewish enough for either. Etc, etc. The layers of halacha have increased greatly over the years. If you go back several generations and read earlier versions of the Talmud, you do not see all the rules you see today. And if you just read the Tanach without the commentary, then you see how the many layers of halacha that supposedly protect the Torah move us into competitive craziness. And when we compete and judge each other then we don't follow Torah. If you are a Jew then of course in reverence to HaShem you observe the Shabbat and the Moedim. You try keep various other commandments, but you do not go so over the top. You try to keep morally intact, you consider the poor and needy, you remain humble and try to forgive. You don't love the world, but you love people. I don't care if you turn a light on during Shabbat or even drive a car, but I don't think anyone should work except for emergency situations. Work is forbidden per the Torah even without the additional halacha. Are you crying because Yehuda Glick was shot? Do you want those hideous mosques off the mountain? Do you want to pray to HaShem wherever and whenever you chose in the land of Yisrael? Then yes, I think you are a Jew.

then it is easier to teach Torah. Not layers and layers of halacha, but true Torah. Yes, we need some halacha but we don't need what the Haredi want to push down everyone's throats.

ONLY people who can trace their Christian-ness back three generations should be allowed to live in European nations. After all, if it is right for israel, it is right for us. Think about it; take Poland for example. Poland has always been a Christian nation; there is only one nation on earth where Polish Christians can feel safe and have a nation to themselves. And the same for Ireland, England, H ungary, etc.

I have no respect for this Rabbi. If I had a chance to meet to him,as a Jew I would tell him where he can go with his statement.

The rabbi is 100% correct. The Nazis, Hitlerites, anti-Semites and all other trash cannot and should not define us. FYI even the Orthodox rabbis do not define us. Only the Torah defines us. The Orthodox rabbis' interpretation of the book must be followed by everyone and especially by the government of Israel. The strength of Israel and Jews are derived from the Torah. Even I, a non-religious Jew, know it. Without the book we cannot be who we are.

This is a major problem with halaha: it understands nothing about genetic health.

Chief Rabbi and others like him have only made it more difficult for those who want to convert - a stupid law - abroad no one bothers to make this differance- stop this nonsence.

I completely and totally agree with you. Well said.

The past few years has taught us something very interesting. the louder someone yells about god and religion the higher the chance they are rotten beyond anyones wildest imagination. These radical rabbis need to move to Iran, let them join the other radicals. They say that a Jew always remains a jew. If someones mother was Jewish they are jewish. Therefore, if you have a record of maternal jewishness nobody can tell you that u are not. According to some modern radical rabbis, most jews that lived prior to the hassidic movement where not really jews lol So many jews who visit israel and see the many who respect the holidays the best they can etc, it brings back more jews to the basics than all the speeches these radical rabbis give,

Now that the conversion bill went through, all they need is Druckman and Stern to make them all Jews as soon as they enter.

to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. By bringing in non-Jews and converting them instantly they hope to get a Jewish majority.

Jews arose from converting many local communities in Europe and elsewhere ,specially the maternal lineage,just look at the external appearance and Physiognomy ,just have a look at tzipi hotovely, Bar Refaeli and Gila Gamliel a Knesset Likud politician of Yemenite and Libyan origins. I demand from David Lau his maternal credentials for the last 2000 years.