"Rabbi offers unorthodox solution to civil marriage debate"
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1098606.html
Religious Zionists war against Haredim on Conversions:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1245184921517
"Zionist rabbis break law for converts".
This is a really important article that covers the situation from the perspectives of the Haredim to the Religious Zionists in Israel, including mentioning EJF and responses to it. It is truly a Conversions War.
Background to the ongoing Conversion Wars in Israel as reported in ten key ynetnews.com articles, 2008-2009:
ReplyDelete1) "Rabbi Sherman annuls another conversion (6.23.09) Rabbi who already disqualified thousands of conversions questions Jewishness of female convert, orders her to divorce her husband and declares her children unfit to marry other Jews..."
2) "Who is an Orthodox convert? (6.18.09): By denying the validity of Rabbi Druckman's conversions, rabbinical judges in fact deny the authority of the state's chief rabbi..."
3) "Chief Rabbi Metzger supports conversions annulment (6.17.09): At conference dedicated to 'fortifying walls of conversion,' chief rabbi voices support for Rabbi Sherman, who annulled thousands of conversions carried out by Rabbi Druckman..."
4) "Time has come for secular conversion (6.19.08): Entrance keys into Jewish faith held solely by Orthodox hands; Yair Rotkovich says Jewish secularism should not stand on conversion sidelines..."
5) Rabbinical courts to be prohibited from annulling conversion (6.16.08): New bill demands amendment to Rabbinical Courts’ Jurisdiction Act, in attempt to protect converts from living in fear, encourage future immigrants' conversion..."
6) "Conversion survey: IDF over religion (6.11.08): Study conducted for Ynet, Gesher shows serving in IDF more important criterion than keeping commandments regarding who to convert to Judaism..."
7) Poll: Majority of Israelis support conversions (6.5.08): New data presented by Immigrant Absorption Ministry reveals Israelis are highly supportive of immigration, conversion process, but fear mass none-Jewish immigration may lead to assimilation..."
8) Thousands of conversions questioned (5.2.08): High Rabbinical Court calls into question all conversions performed by Rabbi Chaim Drukman since 1999..."
9) Knesset votes against civil marriage (2.13.08): Bill granting all married couples' rights to couples wed in Israel without a rabbi rejected by vast majority of MKs. Bill's initiators, Yisrael Beiteinu MK David Rotem: Labor, Kadima and Likud spat in the face of the freedom-seeking public..."
10) Who is an Orthodox convert? (6.18.09): By denying the validity of Rabbi Druckman's conversions, rabbinical judges in fact deny the authority of the state's chief rabbi..."
Thank you RaP, that is quite a list.
ReplyDeleteYou have certainly done a lot of work on behalf of the readers of this blog and I am grateful.