The Knesset and country were suddenly thrown into yet another “Who is a Jew” political crisis today when Agudat Israel, on orders of its sages, introduced a bill requiring halachic conversion. During the evening Knesset members of other parties joined their names to the bill and it will be given a preliminary reading tomorrow with the result hard to predict. Labor Party leaders Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin tonight rejected Aguda pleas that their party abstain or at least give its members a free vote on the bill. Labor will meet tomorrow morning and was expected to order its MKs to oppose the bill which is opposed to Labor’s election pledge to support religious pluralism in Israel.
If all of Labor opposes the bill, it will probably not pass because there are some half dozen Likud-Liberals who will also vote against it. But political observers said some Laborites might stay away, with or without the faction’s permission.
The Aguda’s sudden presentation of the bill came at the insistent urging of the Hasidic Rabbi of Gunwho sought action on this issue before the Knesset adjoums for Passover recess this week.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
