12
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, January 18, 1985
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FSLIC
tween Diaspora Jewry and the
Jewish state.
The Law of Return defines a
Jew as a person born of a
Jewish mother or converted.
The proposed amendment
would have added "according
to Halacha" which would in-
validate conversions per-
formed by non-Orthodox rab-
bis in Israel and abroad. The
converts and their offspring
would not be recognized as
Jews in Israel.
Rabbi Efry Spectre of Adat
Shalom Synagogue in Far-
mington Hills told The Jewish
News that the change is not
being pushed "out of concern
for Halacha . . . They are going
to invalidate people who have
lived as Jews for years and
who have converted halachi-
cally," but not through Or-
thodox rabbis.
Rabbi Spectre said the issue
threatens to "fragmentize
Judaism" and "politicize" reli-
gion. "We who care for the fu-
ture of Judaism, and teach
traditional Judaism with
every concern and respect and
consideration of every nuance,
resent this kind of coercion. It
is forcing political parties into
positions they don't endorse
_and no one believes in."
He added that the lack of
recognition of religious
pluralism in Israel is a "source
of embarrassment to anyone
concerned with Judaism in the
rest of the world."
"We are able to work to-
gether here," Rabbi Spectre
stated. "The Conservative
rabbinate can work with the
Vaad Harabonim (Council of
Orthodox Rabbis of Greater
Detroit) in mutual community
efforts without invalidating
other expressions of Judaism.
It is a pity that our Israeli col-
leagues have not learned that
lesson."
Rabbi Spectre will attend a
rabbinical meeting in Israel
next week. His brother, Pin-
chas, heads the Conservative
movement in Israel, the
Movement for Mesorati
Judaism.
Rabbi Chaskel Grubner, di-
rector of the Vaad Harabonim,
was also asked to comment on
the "Who is a Jew?" issue. The
Vaad gave The Jewish News
the following written state-
ment:
"In answer to the question
`Who is a Jew?' — a Jew is a
person born to a Jewish
mother or one who has under-
gone a halachic conversion,
which includes the acceptance
of the totality of the 613
mitzvot of the Torah as handed
down to us in the Shulchan
Aruch and Poskim. (Sages).
"Anything less than this
commitment invalidates the
conversion.
- "The proliferation of non-
halachic conversions only
serves to widen the gap be-
tween Jews and cause hard-
ship for those converts who are
not accepted as Jews by a large
segment of the Jewish people."
During the Knesset debate,
Prime Minister Peres called
for national unity. "Our gen-
eration was called upon to find
a way of ensuring the con-
tinuity of the Jewish people in
times of change and great
dangers.
"A way must be found to
unify the people, not to cause
Peres explained that the
Law of Return, as originally
formulated by the Knesset
years ago, was a Zionist law
rather than a religious meas-
ure and was not concerned
with matters of religion or
personal status.
The amendment went down
to defeat when it was brought
before the Knesset last year,
under the sponsorship of the
Agudat Israel Party. This time
it was introduced as a private
member's bill by MK Avner
Sciaky of the National Reli-
gious Party. Its most vigorous
proponents were members of
the Chabad Chasidic move-
ment, acting on orders from
Chabad headquarters in New
York.
Representatives of 21
American Jewish organiza-
tions on Monday called on
political leaders in Israel to re-
sist the amendment and urged
that Israel establish an inter-
national commission, com-
posed of representatives of the
major branches of Jewish reli-
gious and communal life, to
meet in Israel with Orthodox
spokesmen "in the hope of
working out an agreement
that would prevent the deep
divisions in Jewish life we fear
if the proposed legislation is
passed."
Speaking at a New York
news conference, Rabbi Ale-
xander Schindler, president of
the Union of American He-
brew Congregations, said,
"We categorically reject the
notion that there is some sort
of qualitative distinction be-
tween one kind of Jew and an-
other. We reject the notion and
refuse to be reduced to a kind
of secondary Jewish citizen-
ship. We categorically refuse
to be beggars at Jerusalem's
gate."
Other Jewish leaders were
equally adamant in their op-
position to any revision in Is-
rael's Law of Return.