• born as Jews in South Africa. After marrying in 1982, they applied for per- mission to immigrate to Israel. A Jewish Agency emissary discovered that the couple belonged to the group known as "Jews for Jesus" and informed them that they were not elegible for an en- try visa under the Law of Return. In 1986, the Beresfords entered Israel on a visitor's visa. They reapplied for en- try in terms of the Law of Return, but were turned down by the Interior Min- istry on the ground that they were "members of a different faith." The couple then petitioned the High Court of Justice to order the ministry to give them an immigrant visa because "they were Jews and not members of a diffei-ent faith." In any case, they argued, they had the right to immigrant visas, because they were the children of Jews and did not convert voluntarily. The Interior Ministry, however, told the High Court that although the Beresfords were born of Jewish parents, they are members of a different faith who converted voluntarily and are, therefore, ineligible for immigrant visas. The 90-page ruling was written by Justices Menahem Elon and Aharon Barak, with Justice Avraham Khalima concurr- ing. Although agreeing with each other on their conclu- sion, Justices Elon and Barak reached it by different paths. Elon interprets the Law of Return from a halachic- religious viewpoint; Barak from a "secular, liberal and dynamic" one. Elon defines "not a member of a different faith" in terms of the "spiritual and historical pathways of Judaism." By this criterion, he writes, it is "clear and simple" that the petitioners are "members of a different faith" and therefore ineligi- ble for rights granted by the Law of Return to Jews who make aliyah. Elon em- phasized that the Beresfords regard their belief in Jesus as the central element in their faith. It is irrelevant that they celebrate Jewish holidays and declare them- selves to belong to the Jewish people whose wellbe- ing they seek. Barak, however, held that the criterion for deciding who is a Jew should not be halachic. Jerusalem Post Foreign Service Northwestern Highway between 12 and 13 Mile Roads Applegate Trelid Square 352-4244 Men's & Boys' WINTER CLEARANCE 40% to 50% OFF Includes: Leather Jackets • Sweaters Sport Coats • Shirts • Sweatshirts — No Charges — All Sales Final NEW YEAR CLEARANCE SALE WINTER BAGS up to 50% OFF LUGGAGE 20-50% OFF BRIEFCASES/ATTACHES 30% OFF 29815 NORTHWESTERN HIGHWAY IN APPLEGATE SQUARE 357-1800 OPEN THURSDAY TILL 8 PM THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 33