Israel’s first joint conversion institute could be established within two months in Beersheba, where many new immigrants live, according to the chairman of the institute’s seven-member board. A government-appointed commission earlier this year suggested the creation of these kinds of institutes as part of a compromise to avert a crisis over who would perform conversions in Israel. Under the compromise, rabbis from Judaism’s three leading streams would participate in training potential converts at the institutes, while the Orthodox clergy would perform the conversions.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.