A severe blow to the Jewish Home: After the Religious Zionist Party reached an agreement with the Movement Party on the Conversion Law in its current form, and in anticipation of the party's expected support for the law in the Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs this coming Sunday, over 100 senior religious Zionist rabbis today sent an open letter to the Prime Minister, which will be published today and tomorrow in the weekend newspapers, in which they attack the law.
The letter states: "We, the undersigned rabbis, join the position of the Chief Rabbinate Council, which is united around the firm position that responsibility for conversion in the State of Israel should remain the responsibility of the Chief Rabbis of Israel.".
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu explains his position on the subject: "The law constitutes a step towards dismantling the rabbinate's powers, neutralizing the Chief Rabbinate's authority over conversion issues, and transferring it to another body appointed by the state.
""With such a body, it is impossible to know who the people who will be appointed to it tomorrow will be, and what their halachic authority will be. This is in fact an attempt to abolish the rabbinate through theft, and it is a mistake to abolish the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.".
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner explains his opposition to the law on two points: A. The issue of "who is a Jew" B. A division among the people of Israel. "Conversion today is joining the historical, halakhic people of Israel, not a new people. It has always been agreed that the definition of 'who is a Jew' is the definition of halakhic law. Changing the definition in the law will harm halakhic law and will also harm converts. This will deceive the converts. They will make an effort, and in the end it will turn out that they are not Jewish and cannot marry.".
Rabbi Aviner further explains: "Conversion as proposed in the law will not be accepted by the Chief Rabbinate, the rabbis, and the people of Israel, and this will lead to a division in the nation. In other words, we will have two peoples. Jews according to Halacha, and those who are not recognized. We will have to establish genealogical books, in order to be able to distinguish between the two. Admittedly, there is a legal problem with maintaining a registry in Israel, but it is certainly possible to do this abroad.".
Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, who also signed the letter, explains: "It is impossible for politicians to get involved and draft the conversion law. Politics does not prevail over halacha. Conversion must be under the absolute control of the Chief Rabbinate, and not allow anyone to establish a court of law, as proposed in the law. This law will cause great lawlessness, and the introduction of foreign forces into the people of Israel, those who are not truly interested in being Jews. The people of Israel throughout the generations have maintained their identity, and maintained the truth of conversion." Rabbi Levanon added: "If, God forbid, a law is passed that does not meet the criteria of halacha, it will be necessary to maintain genealogies, which means division into two peoples.".
MK Moti Yogev: "The Chief Rabbinate is the highest religious and halakhic institution, and it is clear that all matters of conversion, divorce, and marriage must be solely within the authority of the Chief Rabbinate. This is the guarantee of the integrity of the Jewish people. It is important that the wording of the law be clear that the Chief Rabbinate is the supreme authority.".
Rabbi Elisha Wislitsky: "The public needs to know that this petition by the rabbis is essentially in favor of the Jewish spirit of the State of Israel. This is part of our moral and Jewish duty. Anyone who tries to expedite processes that do not have the national side in mind is very serious. The Chief Rabbinate is the important enterprise of Rabbi Kook, and this enterprise does not depend on such and such opinions. The Rabbinate expresses the public life of the State of Israel. Any law that is supposed to harm the status of the Rabbinate is an injury to the State of Israel. The responsibility lies with those who expedite these laws.".
As stated, among the signatories to the list are the senior rabbis of Religious Zionism: Rosh Yeshiva Ateret, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, Rabbi of Safed, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Rabbi of Ramat Gan, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Rabbi Elisha Vishlitsky, Rabbi of Petah Tikva, Rabbi Micha Halevi, Rabbi Israel Rosen, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira, Rabbi Yitzhak Levy, Rabbi Yehuda Amichai, Rabbi Yehoshua Katz, Rabbi Gideon Perl, Rabbi Yaakov Ohev Zion, Rabbi Shlomo Azuels, Rabbi Eitan Eisman, Rabbi Eliezer Elbaz, Rabbi Ilan Elfontia, Rabbi Eli Elxalsi, Rabbi Yotan Elran, Rabbi Baruch Efrati, Rabbi Simcha HaCohen Kook, Rabbi Steinberger, Rabbi Reuven Ben Uliel, Rabbi Menachem Ben Yaakov, Rabbi Yehuda Ben Yishai, Rabbi Ariel Barali, Rabbi Chaim Gantz, Rabbi Yeshayahu Doron, Rabbi Moshe Hager, Rabbi Meir Hilevich, Rabbi David Hai HaCohen, Rabbi Itai Halevi, Rabbi Yehoshua Van Dijk, Rabbi Yehoshua Wieder, Rabbi Sh. Yosef Weitzen, Rabbi Eliyahu Zini, Rabbi Yosef Zini, Rabbi Zion Tuyel, Rabbi Shmuel Tal, Rabbi Yaakov Yedid, Rabbi Itar Cohen, Rabbi Yitzhak Cohen, Rabbi Nachshon Cohen, Rabbi Shimon Cohen, Rabbi Yehoshua Katz, Rabbi Avi Levy, Rabbi Erez Levy, Rabbi Yosef Levy, Rabbi Yaakov Lanzer, Rabbi Yeshayahu Meitles, Rabbi Elazar Naeh, Rabbi Mordechai Nagari, Rabbi Reuven Netanel, Rabbi Eli Sadan, Rabbi Danny Stiskin, Rabbi Yishai Samuel, Rabbi David Pendel, Rabbi Gideon Perl, Rabbi Yaakov Fingenbaum, Rabbi Yehoshua Zuckerman, Rabbi Zvi Kostiner, Rabbi Yosef Kellner, Rabbi Yigal Kaminetzky, Rabbi Ohad Krakower, Rabbi Mishael Rubin, Rabbi Yossi Rodriguez, Rabbi Shlomo Rosenfeld, Rabbi Shimon Sugarman, Rabbi Chaim Steiner, Rabbi Avraham Schiller, Rabbi Avraham Sher Shalom, Rabbi David Turgeman.
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