Conversion Panel Seems Unable to Reach Accord to Resolve Crisis

On the eve of a final deadline, it appeared that a committee charged with staving off a crisis over conversions in Israel was deadlocked.

The committee met Thursday evening in a bid to reach a compromise on conversions that would be acceptable to the three major streams of Judaism.

Committee members remained tight-lipped about their deliberations, but Israeli media reports said they had been unable to bridge their differences on the contentious issue and that the panel was on the verge of breaking up.

The committee, which was created by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and headed by Finance Minister Ya’acov Ne’eman, has been meeting daily since June 30 in an effort to submit its recommendations by an Aug. 15 deadline.

The conversion crisis erupted a year ago after religious political parties secured a commitment from newly elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seek legislation that would codify the Orthodox establishment’s sole authority over Jewish conversions conducted in Israel.

The agreement to establish the committee came after more than two months of talks between coalition representatives and Reform and Conservative leaders, including last-minute marathon talks that involved Netanyahu himself.

As part of the compromise, the coalition agreed to suspend legislative work on a bill that would codify the Orthodox monopoly over conversions performed in Israel, and the Reform and Conservative movements agreed to suspend litigation pending before Israel’s High Court of Justice.

The Reform and Conservative movements in Israel have both brought cases over the past several years to Israel’s High Court of Justice to secure recognition for their conversions.

If the committee does not reach a compromise, the non-Orthodox movements are expected to reactivate their conversion-related court cases. The Orthodox parties would likely pursue the contentious conversion bill, which requires two more Knesset votes before it can become law.