OPINION

Jewish Unity Reliant On
Conversion-Crisis Compromise

conversion crisis, which arose anew
he 170 Reform leaders
the week of June 8 when the govern-
from North America who
ment decided to resubmit conversion
arrived in Israel recently to
legislation
to the Knesset.
celebrate the state's 50th
Finance
Minister
Yaakov Neeman
anniversary found themselves in the
gave them a passionate plea for dia-
middle of the country's religious
logue among all streams of Judaism.
wars. In the process, they
The Reform leaders
received quite a lesson in
responded by noting that
Israeli politics.
their movement had accept-
Stopping at the Western
ed this principle. Why, they
Wall on their way from the
asked, did the legislation
airport, they saw that the
now being considered
Wall area was virtually
reward those who rejected
empty on a late Monday
dialogue — namely, the
afternoon. Nonetheless,
Chief Rabbinate?
they were required to pray
The legislative proposal
at the plaza's farthest cor-
currently being put forward
BBI
RA
ner, adjacent to the exit
is described as implement-
ERI C H.
gate, surrounded by barriers
ing the Neeman Commit-
YOF FIE
and police.
tee recommendations. But
Spec ial to
North American leaders,
The Jew ish News the Neeman recommenda-
who for 30 years have
tions called for a new era of
joined the struggle for the
religious understanding,
unity of Israel's capital, do not find
based upon dialogue, cooperation,
it easy to understand why the Old
and mutual respect. The Reform and
City's holy places should be closed to
Conservative movements and the
them when they wish to pray accord-
Chief Rabbinate were to work
ing to their normal custom. They do
together in preparing converts for
not understand why a government
conversion, with the final stage —
that has vowed never to expel a sin-
the actual conversion — done by an
gle Jew from any part of Eretz Yisrael
Orthodox rabbinic court.
is so quick to expel Reform Jews
The recommendations specifically
from the vicinity of the Wall.
stated
that a lenient approach was to
But nothing prepared these leaders
be used by the court in carrying out
for what they were to hear about the
its conversions. As we all know, the
Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie is president of
Chief Rabbinate rejected these rec-
the Union of the Reform movement's
ommendations and used the occa-
Union of American Hebrew Congrega-
sion to heap abuse upon Reform and
tions.
Conservative Judaism.

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LETTERS

In conclusion, resorting to a bit
"Jewish settlements on the West Bank"
of Orwellian double-talk, the editori-
and proceeded to pontificate that such
alist blandly asserts that "Jerusalem is
policy "was condemned by Palestinians
the eternal capital of Israel
and virtually the entire world
and the Jewish people are
community as a means of
determined to keep it
augmenting the Israeli capi-
that way." If Israel is the
tal's Jewish hegemony."
eternal capital of Israel,
Sounds like a page from Yas-
isn't the Israeli cabinet
sir Arafat's house organ.)
within its legitimate rights
While Secretary of State
to "strengthen Jewish
Albright, in a phone conver-
sovereignty" in the holy
sation with Prime Minister
city?
Netanyahu, expressed "con-
Prime Minister
I note that The Jewish
cern," the New York Times
yamin
Bin
garnered six awards for
News
reported the secretary found
anyahu
Net
excellence
in some aspects of
Netanyahu's explanations
journalism. Congratulations.
"reassuring." The wholesale
But isn't there an award for "editorial
condemnation of Israel by "the entire
integrity or credibility"?
world community," which presumably
includes the United States, was a fig-
Ezekiel Leikin
ment of the editorialist's skewed imag-
Zionist Organization of America
ination.
Metro Detroit District

