Mow

Inside: •The Year 5757 In Review — Locally, Internationally.
Neighborhood Shifts To Improvement Loans.

In the Reform movement, mikvah
the mikvah each year; today it's up to
is an optional part of conversion, but
4,000. The increase is attributed to
it is mandatory for Conservative Jews.
young couples moving in from other
An Orthodox rabbi who spoke on
communities; children of Detroit
condition of anonymity explained the
Orthodox getting married; scores of
opposition to allowing non-Orthodox
newly observant Jews; and some
use of their mikvah.
Russians. Lange added that medical
"Conversion is an objective institu-
advancements have extended a woman's
tion whose parameters and definitions
menstrual -cycle, requiring mikvah use
were laid out at Mt. Sinai. Conversion
for more years than a generation ago.
gives us the very definition of who is
"In the Orthodox community, the
or is not a Jew," the rabbi said. "You
communal institution of primary
don't want to take a mikvah and use it
importance is mikvah," said Rabbi
as a vehicle for distorting the very defi-
Steven Weil of Young Israel of Oak
nition of a Jew."
Park. Second are educational institu-
Although his shul is next door
tions and third are synagogues,
new mikvah,
Rabbi
to jthoseenpeh
Klein of the
"in contrast to the Reform
./
%
and Conservative corn-
I Reform Temple
munities, where the
Emanu-El is indiffer-
firstpriority is syna-
ent to the debate.
gogues."
_- 1001:10.
/1
"Assuming that it
The Orthodox
NtleVN; 0 1,1 1 0est's'a
is
an
Orthodox mik-
community also uses ii
ets %IT
3e1
t o
osoev
co
vah, I would not
the mikvah for con-
l
tso.s4
so
ce \letot
ees vse,: o
v SOa
expect that it would
versions. Weil
it> be made available for
sIG
I/
0
44
explained that the
,
7
z;idoevN
ft
'3.4.
non-Orthodox conver-
itob
three components of
sions,"
he said. "The
•
4
2
.
ir
,
9
conversion, according to
0. 0.
ir
Orthodox
community has
Jewish law, include circum-
1354-6069 •
every right to establish its own
cision of males, immersion in a
standards; the Federation has and does
mikvah and acceptance of the mitzvot
fund institutions for separate parts of
— in principle and in practice.
the Jewish community."
Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg of Bais
Mark Davidoff, Federation's chief
Chabad said, "The 'who is a Jew' issue
operating officer, explained that the
is a very sensitive issue, but all
existing Orthodox mikvah is a state of
Orthodox mikvahs will only be used
disrepair and doesn't currently meet
in terms of conversion for halachic
the needs of the community.
conversion exclusively." However, any
"We've allocated 3/4 of an acre of
Jewish woman, regardless of affiliation,
land to provide the space on which
may use an Orthodox mikvah for
this mikvah can be built. In the grand
taharat hamishpachah, he added.
scheme of community property, 3/4 of
Rabbi Joseph Krupnik of the Vaad
an acre appeared to be a modest com-
Harabonim said local Orthodox rabbis
mitment," he said. Li
perform less than 12 conversions per
year.

3eini 1

4
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3/13
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