Shas, UTJ Reject Geirus Bill Freeze

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uri-maklevThe agreement for an all-around moratorium on the legal actions that could change the status quo of geirus in Israel seems to be accepted only by liberal Jewish groups, while the Shas and United Torah Judaism, which supported Yisroel Beiteinu MK David Rotem’s conversion bill in its recent Knesset Law Committee vote, were not part of such a deal.Rotem, too, said that he was not a party to any such understanding.

The Prime Minister’s Office announced late on Thursday night that the Reform and Masorti (Conservative) movements in Israel had agreed to a nearly six-month freeze on their High Court of Justice petition demanding state recognition of non-Orthodox conversions conducted in Israel. In return, the announcement continued, the government would halt the legislative process on the conversion bill for that period.

The deal was hammered out by cabinet secretary Tzvi Hauser, at the behest of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, “to find any way to preserve the unity of the Jewish people.”

According to the agreement, there will be no change in the status quo until January 1.

In the interim, Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky will head a team including members of the non-Orthodox movements and of the government, to create the authority that would complete the legislation on the topic.

“The changes in the conversion laws should be reached through broad understanding, to prevent a schism in the Jewish people. Unity is a primary national interest, and I am determined to preserve it,” Netanyahu said.

Rotem had tried in the recent Knesset summer session to pass a law that would give present and former municipal rabbonim the authority to conduct conversions, including for people who live outside their municipalities, but critics said that the wording of the bill could strengthen the Chief Rabbinate, change the legal status of non-Orthodox conversions in Israel and affect the eligibility of such converts to citizenship under the Law of Return. Netanyahu was recently subject to massive pressure from the non-Orthodox movements and the Jewish Federations of North America to halt the bill’s progress until further dialogue.

A spokesman for Shas said on Friday morning that his movement was not part of any such deal and did not accept it. Shas Chairman and Interior Minister Eli Yishai reiterated in this weekend’s Yom Leyom newspaper the importance Shas sees in passing Rotem’s bill.

MK Uri Maklev’s spokesman reiterated that his party, UTJ, had only supported the bill because of the resistance it was facing from the Reform movement, and not because of its inherent acceptance of the legislation.

“We are not surprised that the prime minister didn’t involve us in these talks, nor do we expect to be part of them,” Maklev said.

Rotem said that he was not party to the understandings, and did not know if he would participate in the planned talks. The Knesset was on a recess until October, and no legislation could be advanced anyway, Rotem said.

{JPost}

{Matzav.com Israel}


4 COMMENTS

  1. This bill allows Russian shkotzim in Israel, who have no intention of ever keeping Shabbos, “convert” as “Jews”.

  2. It does nothing of the sort. Addrabba – there’s a reason that the frum parties are supporting it. It puts all geirus in e’y in the hands of the chareid-controlled rabbanut. It’s not perfect but it is a huge improvement over the present lamentable situation.

  3. #2 — The reason the anti-religious Yisroel Betanya party of Avigdor Lieberman introduced this bill, was to convert Russian shkotzim.

  4. Right now no one, frum or not, is getting converted. There is simply no infrastructure in place for it. Again, the frum parties are supporting it.

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