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The rabbis feel the responsibility to pro- tect and defend the Jewish status of converts who have accepted the faith of Judaism, are living meaning- ful Jewish lives, and have re- lied upon their rabbis for in- struction and growth. The fourth provision of the resolution is an expression of pained protest against those in the Knesset who have sought to legislate the ques- tion of Jewish conversion for the American Jewish com- munity. In doing so, the Knesset would be legislating for the Jewish people and not just for the State of Israel. Representatives of the Con- servative Movement met with individual members of the Knesset when the bill came up for examination in January. During this lobby- ing process, Knesset mem- bers challenged spokesmen of non-Orthodox movements. They asked, "Whom do you represent in America? Why don't we hear from them?" Since the Conservative rabbis have adopted this resolution, some American Jewish lay leadership has expressed concern for what is viewed as a divisive act on the part of the Conservative Movement. While disas- sociating themselves now from the intended change in the Law of Return, it is in- teresting that no such ex- pression was forthcoming from that leadership at the time of the vote. And, in- deed, the disdain of the aforementioned Knesset members seemed well-placed. If the Conservative resolu- tion has done nothing else, it has raised the consciousness of the American Jewish community to what ought to be a matter of grave concern. The issue will not go away. Assuredly, the bill will be reintroduced at a future ses- sion of the Knesset. On Jan 16, it was narrowly defeated by a vote of 62 to 51. Had the five or six Arab members voted with those in favor of the change, an alteration in the definition of a Jew could have been decided by non- Jews! As a reading of the com- plete resolution testifies, the Conservative rabbinate is not seeking to bar fellow Jews or members of the Is- raeli government from the synagogue. Any member of Knesset, upon visiting our shores, is welcome to come and pray! We are merely asking those agencies who provide speakers to our syn- agogues to be sensitive to the insult and deep pain some of these proposed speakers have inflicted upon us. Freedom of speech does not negate judicious selectivity in determining a speaker. There are many prominent Israelis among those who have fought directly and in- directly for the defeat in the change of the Law of Return whose words can effectively strengthen our ties with Is- rael. Those who have shown support for pluralism in Jewish life should be invited to address our people. As the only movement which endorsed Zionism from its inception and has remained firm in that conviction, the Conservative Movement .wishes to create the most positive atmosphere for re- ceiving an Israeli message. As always, we remain firm and committed to our sup- port of Israel. It should be obvious, that we seek a rapprochement with those who have sought to demean us. In private dialogue, in frank exchange, we hope to repair what has been an attempted rent in the fabric of Jewish unity. The resolution states clearly and emphatically our firm determination to resist all attempts to challenge the legitimacy of the largest American Jewish religious movement. It is our belief that the interests of the Jewish people in Israel and around the world will be ad- vanced by our commitment to Klal Yisrael — the unity of the Jewish people. Law Of Return Moves Opposed Jerusalem (JTA) — The Jewish Agency Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a resolution urging the govern- ment not to introduce amend- ments to the Law of Return in the Knesset. The resolution was adopted by vote of 119-38 after a bitter ex- change between the delegates.