•

tioditico

NEWS

Court Rules On ID
Card Of Convert

TO INTRODUCE OUR LOVELY
PETITE STORE
TO ALL OF YOU LOVELY
PETITE LADIES

Jerusalem (JTA) — Interior
Minister Yitzhak Peretz, who
must comply with a Supreme
Court ruling to issue a Jewish
identification card to a
woman converted by a Re-
form rabbi or resign, said last
week that he would appeal
the high court's decision in
the case.
A three-justice panel,
headed by Supreme Court
President Meir Shamgar,
ruled unanimously that the
Interior Ministry may not in-
scribe the word "converted"
on the ID card of a convert to
Judaism. It acted in the case
of Shoshana Miller, who was
converted to Judaism in 1982
by Rabbi David Klein, a
Reform rabbi in Colorado
Springs, Colo., Miller im-
migrated to Israel in 1985,
claiming the automatic
citizenship granted every
Jew.
Peretz, who heads the
Orthodox Shas Party, said
that he would seek a rehear-
ing of the case before a panel
of five justices. The Supreme
Court usually agrees to a
rehearing on issues con-
sidered to be of major public
interest.
He himself has come under
attack from other Orthodox
rabbis for granting Miller
Jewish status on her ID card,
even with the qualification
"converted." Justice
Menahem Eylon, a member
of the panel, stated in an ad-
dendum to its decision that
the qualifying "converted"
was contrary 'to halacha.
Many Orthodox rabbis agree
with him on that point but
refuse to countenance Jewish
status for a person converted
by a non-Orthodox rabbi.
In New York, the Conser-
vative and Reform Judaism
movements of America have
hailed as a victory for
pluralism the Supreme Court
decision, but the Orthodox
say they have merely lost the
battle, not the fight.
The landmark ruling is just
one small step towards resolv-
ing a bitter and emotional
conflict between Jewish
religious factions over the
question of "Who is a Jew?"
The Orthodox establish-
ment has contended for years
that Reform and Conser-
vative conversions are not ac-
ceptable. The Orthodox in the
Knesset have tried repeated-
ly to introduce an amend-
ment to the legal definition of
a Jew, a child of a Jewish
mother or a convert, which
would stipulate "converted
according to halacha."
The Orthodox first intro-
duced the amendment in
1970 and many times since.
Under the Israeli Law of
Return, passed in 1950, all
Jews are eligible automatical-
ly for Israeli citizenship.
Although the Supreme

We are continuing ourpromotion so that
more of you can take advantage of our sale
on current and fashionable new merchandise

at SUGAR TREE on ORCHARD LAKE ROAD

The stoplight just north of Maple Road
on The Rising Sun side of the street

ORGANIZE NOW BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS

And get MORE SPACE Installed in just a couple hours (no mess)

HOME - APARTMENT - CONDO - OFFICE

At Affordable Prices
wait=

III a.

"law

mob

CLOSET

Are you tired of this?

ft\ - °
-12- tP
- ACE

THE CLOSET PEOPLE

350-1133

SOUTHFIELD

VISA

I

•
•
•
•
•
•
•

FORMICA

Adjustable rods and shelves
Lucite front drawers available
Available in white, gray & almond formica
Free standing - Take it when you move
Edges available in array of colors
Twin hanging space for shirts, jackets, slacks, etc.
hanging rods for long garments (heavy
gauge nickel plated)

CALL FOR FREE IN-HOME ESTIMATE.
WE'LL COME TO YOUR PLACE & DOUBLE YOUR SPACE!
(Do-it-yourself packages available on both)

VENTILATED

MAID
• Special $98 installed on 2
closets minimum up to 6 ft.
(walk in or larger) at
affordable prices
• Attractive & durabte
• Take it with you when
you move
• 10 yr. warranty on work-
manship and materials
• Custom designed for
your needs
• Won't rot, warp or mildew

Enduring Style

Fourteen karat men's rings enhanced with black onyx.

DRAKE SUMMIT
5568 Drake Rd.
W. Bloomfield

661-2655

84, Friday, December 12, 1986 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Tues.-Fri. 11-6
Sat. 11-3
Sun. & Mon.
Closed

t Wok.

.

Court decision on the case of
Shoshana Miller, has en-
couraged the Reform and
Conservative leaders, they ad-
mit that the larger issues of
tolerance and religious
pluralism remain to be
resolved.
Miller moved to Israel three
years after her conversion and
applied for citizenship. The
Interior Ministry refused to
register her as a Jew but after
she took her case to the
Supreme Court, the Ministry
agreed to register her as a
convert.
Although this label on an
identity card ostensibly con-
tradicts a Jewish law which
forbids distinguishing a con-
vert from other Jews, the
Orthodox would require it
because in their view, persons
converted by Reform or Con-
servative rabbis are not real-
ly Jews and shouldn't be
granted automatic citizenship.

Plaintiff
Files Again

Moncton, New Brunswick,
(JTA) — The case oif
Malcolm Ross, the author of
booklets alleging a worldwide
Jewish conspiracy and deny-
ing that the Holocaust hap-
pened, may be reactivated
because of a fresh complaint.
Dr. Julius Israeli, the orig-
inal plaintiff in the case, has
lodged a new complaint with
New Brunswick Attorney-
General David Clark, asking
that Ross be charged with
promoting hatred against
Jews.
Israeli, an Orthodox Jew,
argues Ross should be
charged with disseminating
hate propaganda, because of
several articles Ross pub-
lished in local newspapers in
New Brunswick recently.
In articles published in the
Northumberland News and
the Miramichi Leader last
month, Ross writes why he
published his allegedly anit-
Semitic books, where the
public can buy them, and
how he came upon his beliefs.
Israeli believes that it is
enough to reactivate hate
charges against Ross.

UJA Video
Wins Prize

New York
Scharansky:
The Struggle Continues, a
videotape produced by na-
tional United Jewish Appeal,
has won both a Silver Medal
and a Certificate of Recogni-
tion in the 1986 International
Film and TV Festival of New
York.
The video won its medal in
the "Fund Raising" category
of non-broadcast film and
video industrial productions.

—

