Deri pans Kotel, conversion fury as 'one simple lie'
Speaking at a Shas faction meeting, interior minister dismisses outrage expressed over government's recent decision regarding an egalitarian section at the Kotel and conversions as a 'disinformation campaign against the Haredi public’; insisting that Conversion Bill changes nothing, Deri states commitment to preventing 'back-door' entry of Reform movement into Israeli establishment.
Speaking during a Shas faction meeting, Deri denounced the expressed outrage as “one simple lie, an incitement campaign by people who have an interest in trying to dismantle the government.”
Jews from all around the world, particularly the US, have not hesitated to lash out against the coalition's move to delay the construction of an egalitarian prayer section near the Kotel and to approve a bill that would enable the ultra-Orthodox political parties to retain a comprehensive monopoly over all conversions—past and future.
Seeking to explain the reasoning behind the Conversion Bill, Deri told his party members that discussions on the matter had arisen in the context of how it relates to the Law of Return—the law granting automatic Israeli citizenship to Jews outside Israel.
“The High Court of Justice (HCJ) already ruled 20 years ago that whoever converts (to Judaism) outside Israel is included in the Law of Return. We are not changing this. It will stay the same,” Deri insisted before turning his attention to the liberal Reform stream of Judaism.
“The Reformists also wanted the conversions that they do here in Israel to be included in the Law of Return meaning I, as the interior minister, would be obligated to grant citizenship immediately because of the Law of Return—something that has never happened before,” he continued.
“I am not changing a thing. Throughout the years, people who convert in Israel have not been connected with the (stipulations in the) Law of Return. The law is supposed to bring olim (new immigrants) from abroad, not to convert people here.”
Deri insisted that the HCJ never accepted the notion that people undergoing Reform conversions inside Israel were eligible for citizenship, arguing that the change would constitute a departure with decades-old policies on the matter.
“The HCJ never accepted...that conversions in Israel, for the Law of Return, would have to be recognized,” he maintained.
Deri also emphasized that a state conversion system existed under the authority of the Prime Minister’s Office and that only people who had converted under its direction could be considered as being eligible for being granted the right of return under the law.
“If everyone starts a stream and everyone starts creating private conversions, there is no end,” Deri argued. “A year ago the HCJ already recognized Haredi and Orthodox conversions and obviously we are obliged to consider them as olim.”
The minister then told his faction that the government was trying to formulate a law according to which only state conversions would make the new converts eligible to the right of return.
According to Deri however, the conversions inside Israel should have no bearing whatsoever on whether the Law of Return becomes applicable. To that end, Deri attempted to draw a clear distinction between two issues from one another.
“I was asked as interior minister to submit the bill. From my point of view, even the state conversion in the State of Israel doesn’t need to be conflated with the Law of Return. The law is intended to bring olim from abroad rather than to convert people inside Israel. Nevertheless, since the HCJ ruled we have to recognize (state—ed) conversions performed here, in relation to the Law of Return, it simplified matters.”
His personal views notwithstanding, Deri repeated that “I have not changed a thing. Until now, the Reform conversions have not been recognized inside Israel. There is no intention to hurt anyone...As interior minister I have to (keep in check) entry into the State of Israel.”
Turning his focus to the Kotel saga, Deri was slightly more reticent but nevertheless stated unequivocally that he had no intention of using his authority to allow the groundswell of Reform demands to develop into an unstoppable wave of protest that would force the government to grant it official recognition.
“Whatever will be will be. There was an attempt from the back door to give status and official recognition by the State of Israel and the Israeli government to the Reform stream as stream to Judaism and we blocked this so there wouldn’t be recognition,” he stated. “But this has nothing to do with the fact that the Western Wall will be open to every Jew and anyone in the world who wants to pray there.”
