Persistent Differences
Religious pluralism battle erupts anew in Israel.
AVI MACHLIS
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Jerusalem
E
xactly one year ago, a
committee headed by
former Israeli Finance
Minister Ya'acov
Ne'eman was putting the finish-
ing touches on what was billed as
a historic compromise over the
conversion crisis in Israel.
It aimed to usher in a new era
of dialogue between Orthodoxy
and the liberal streams of
Judaism and to start a process of
reconciliation between Israel and
Diaspora Jewry.
The compromise was designed
to avert the Knesset's adoption of
a bill that would codify into law
the Orthodox monopoly over
conversions to Judaism per-
formed in Israel.
It called for the establishment
of an institute in which the three
major streams of Judaism would
be involved in preparing candidates
for conversion, while leaving the actu-
al performance of the conversions
under Orthodox control.
But one year later, that compromise
appears destined to become no more
than a historical footnote, and some
fear its failure could lead to an
unprecedented rift in Israel-Diaspora
relations.
Although the institute is preparing
to open, the compromise proposals
were never accepted by Israel's
Orthodox Chief Rabbinate. The liber-
al movements will participate, but
without the rabbinate's endorsement,
Reform and Conservative leaders in
Israel fear graduates of the institute
may never have their conversions rec-
ognized. Nothing, they say, will have
been achieved.
Instead of dialogue, the apparent
failure of the Ne'eman Committee's
compromise has sent both sides in the
religious pluralism campaign back to
the battlefield — which is now being
waged on two fronts.
• Conversions: Orthodox parties in
the Knesset are attempting to revive
the conversion bill after the Jerusalem
District Court earlier this month
ordered the Interior Ministry to recog-
1/15
1999
16 Detroit Jewish News
cord, Hanan Porat, chairman of the
Knesset's Law Committee, said he
would ask the Supreme Court to post- ,
pone hearing the appeal until after
Israel's May 17 national elections.
• Religious councils: In another
piece of legislation prompted by a
court ruling — this time from the
Supreme Court — Orthodox legisla-
tors last month won support in the
first of three Knesset votes on a bill
designed to bypass the high court's
decision requiring the government tf ,-/
appoint Conservative and Reform rep-.
resentatives to municipal religious
councils.
The so-called "bypass bill" requires
every member of a religious council to
abide by rulings of the Orthodox
Chief Rabbinate. Reform and
Conservative leaders are furious, say-
ing the bill mocks the court's ruling
- ,
On Tuesday, the Knesset Law
Committee blocked the second and
third votes on the bill by the full legis-
lature. But at the same time, the Chief
Rabbinate ordered local religious
councils not to convene as long as
Reform and Conservative members
take their seats.
The liberal streams see much at
stake in this battle because the reli-
gious councils, supervised by the
Religious Affairs Ministry, have exclu-
sive jurisdiction over marriage,
kashrut, burial and other religious
matters for all Jews living in Israel.
The ongoing pluralism battle dates
back to Israel's founding.
The 1948 Declaration of
Independence defined Israel as a
Jewish and democratic state. But the-`
.
nize as Jewish 23 people who under-
went conversions performed by
Conservative and Reform rabbis.
The bill has been redrafted to
incorporate the Ne'eman Committee's
proposals. But leaders of the liberal
movements say this undermines the
spirit of the compromise, which was
meant to avoid legislation codifying
Orthodox control over conversions.
The ruling is being appealed to
Israel's Supreme Court, which is con-
sidered likely to uphold it. But recog-
nizing the potential for further dis-
A Protest In The U.S.
Reform, Conservative leaders opposing bills restricting pluralism.
DEBRA NUSSBAUM COHEN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
New York
L
eaders of the Reform and
Conservative movements of
Judaism are once again
mobilizing their 3 million
American followers to fight legislative
moves to solidify the Orthodox
monopoly over Jewish religious affairs
in Israel.
Using rhetoric as sharp as a well-
honed knife, leaders of the two move-
ments exhorted their constituents at a
news conference here 10 days ago to
mount a lobbying and media cam-
paign to block the adoption of two
bills under consideration by the Israeli
Knesset.
One would cement sole Orthodox
control over conversions to Judaism
performed in Israel; the other would
require all members of municipal
Israeli religious councils to conform to
Orthodox levels of ritual observance.
On Tuesday the Knesset agreed to
defer any immediate action on the lat-
ter bill.
The legislative maneuvers are a
reaction to recent court decisions that
have for the first time given the
Reform and Conservative movements
a say in certain Jewish religious affairs
in Israel.
The status of both bills has been
changing daily, with some forces push
ing for speedy adoption, to blunt the
effect of the recent court rulings and
other forces trying to put off the legis-
lation till after the May 17 Israeli
national elections.
Those politicians seeking a delay
are concerned that the issue will hay''
an impact on the elections and could \
open a gaping new rift in Israeli-
Diaspora relations.
But the head of the Reform move-
ment expressed frustration with con-
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