Israel Minister Seeks to Ease Controversy over “who is a Jew” Issue

A new effort to resolve the “who is a Jew” controversy in Israel was disclosed today in plans of Rabbi Jacob M. Toledano, Minister for Religions, to determine whether Christians have been registered as Jews under the regulations which sparked the controversy last year.

The controversy was started by regulations of the Ministry of the Interior permitting Israel residents to identify themselves as Jews on identity cards for national registration purposes without rabbinical investigation. The dispute led to the walk-out from the Israel coalition Government of the National Religious Party.

Rabbi Toledano said Christians registered as Jews will be given different identity cards. The decision followed a meeting between Rabbi Toledano and Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim last week at which a year-long split between Rabbi Toledano and the Israel rabbinate was ended.

Minister Toledano said that to prevent further inaccurate registrations, he would ask for a tightening of the regulation which now permits an applicant to be registered as a Jew by a declaration he does not belong to any non-Jewish religion. Rabbi Toledano indicated he will ask the addition of a declaration by the applicant that he is of Jewish parentage.

The issue of registration of children of mixed parentage, he said, should be decided by Jewish religious law, that is, according to the mother’s faith. He said he would recommend a change in registration rules to include this.

It was believed that Rabbi Toledano was sure of Cabinet support because the left-wing Ministers who initiated the controversial changes are currently in disfavor with Prime Minister David Ben Gurion for voting against the sale of Israel-made arms to West Germany, leading to the current Government crisis.