Jewish Agency proposes independent conversion courts for immigrants

Times of Israel  Reform and Conservative conversions completed outside of the State of Israel are accepted by the country’s Interior Ministry as grounds for application for citizenship. On the other hand and quite confusingly, only a select number of Orthodox rabbis abroad are authorized by the Israeli chief rabbinate to sit on a conversion court for kosher Orthodox conversions. 

Further muddling the who-has-a-right-to-convert-non-Jews issue, there are cases of Orthodox rabbis who hold two pulpits — one abroad and one in Israel — who are only authorized to adjudicate on conversions overseas. 

In a step to rectify this conversion confusion, the Jewish Agency’s Unity of the Jewish People Committee proposed a resolution calling for the organization’s support for the establishment of an independent conversion court at Wednesday afternoon’s closing plenary in Tel Aviv of the summer Board of Governors meetings. The resolution was adopted overwhelmingly by the full board. [...]

The proposal is framed as a way for interfaith families, as well as individuals, to become fully integrated into the Jewish people through conversion, and through the possibility of immigration to Israel. [...]