The renewed debate on the issue of conversion is not really about the question of conversion. Behind all the high-sounding words lies a struggle over the status of the Rabbinate, and all those who talk so highly of the need for easing matters of conversion actually intend to weaken the power of the Rabbinate.<\/p>\r\n
Conversion is a good horse to ride, because large parts of the public do not understand at all the complexity of the problem today. In the past, when a person came and asked to convert, it was clear that he indeed wanted to be a Jew in every sense of the word. Even then, the court of law would try to reject him, and explain to him that he was capable of being a good person and a Righteous Among the Nations, and that he had no need to accept the burden of Torah and commandments. If the person nevertheless insisted on his desire to convert, there was reason to believe that the person indeed wanted to join the covenant that the Creator of the World made with the Jewish people at Mount Sinai.<\/p>\r\n
Today, the reality is completely different. Most conversion seekers don't really want to convert and accept the burden of Judaism. They want the certificate, the formal procedure. They need this paper to marry a Jewish spouse, or just to feel more comfortable within Israeli society. But what can you do, Judaism is not paperwork.<\/p>\r\n
Judaism and citizenship<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Hence the anger at the dayanim who suddenly impose on conversion seekers the obligation to observe mitzvot. And are they even interested in observing mitzvot? They just want to be called Jews and receive a certificate, and the rabbis are just making the process difficult for them.<\/p>\r\n This is where the great confusion between Jewish identity and Israeli citizenship comes in. "He served in the IDF!", they tell you. But what's the connection? Druze, Circassians, and Bedouins also serve in the IDF, and service is not supposed to turn them into Jews. A person who has served the state is indeed entitled to claim civil rights in the state, but Judaism is not a civil matter.<\/p>\r\n State intervention in matters of conversion is fundamentally wrong. Conversion is not a civil matter but a religious one, and it is under the sole authority of Halacha. The state can grant civil rights, but it does not have the power to determine who is a Jew. This is determined by Jewish law alone, not Knesset law.<\/p>\r\n Do not be misled.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n The pressure on the dayanim to 'ease' the issue of conversion ultimately harms genuine conversion seekers. If it turns out that conversion certificates are also being issued to those who do not convert properly, these certificates will lose their value. The stamp in itself is not worth much. The question is to what extent the public considers it and trusts it. The result could be that a genuine convert will have to turn to courts that are not independent of the state, so that God-fearing and observant Jews will believe that he has indeed converted legally.<\/p>\r\n Judaism is not Judaica. It is an eternal covenant that began at Mount Sinai and was forged through thousands of years of devotion. Judaism does not impose itself on anyone and does not seek new converts, but those who seek to convert must prove their sincerity in their desire to be truly and truly Jewish. Why mislead the public, and why mislead those seeking conversion themselves?.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The pressure on judges to 'facilitate' conversion ultimately harms genuine conversion seekers. If it turns out that conversion certificates are also being issued to those who do not convert properly, they will lose their value.","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[286,283,285,284],"class_list":["post-1264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-138","tag-286","tag-283","tag-285","tag-284"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n