The Rabbinical Assembly, the international organization of Conservative rabbis, has declared 51 members of Israel’s Knesset, including Yitzhak Shamir, Ariel Sharon and former Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Moshe Arens, as “not welcome as speakers or honorees in the 850 Conservative synagogues, which they have sought to discredit.”
The Conservative rabbinic action was in response to these members of the Knesset, belonging mainly to the Likud and National Religious Parties, who voted in support of changes in the Israel Law of Return which would have discredited the validity of Conservative and Reform conversions.
“The time has come when we must let those Israelis who do not feel a responsibility for the Jewish people know that they are not welcome to lecture American Jews on American Jewish responsibility to Israel” asserted Rabbi Kassel Abelson, vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly (RA).
Abelson explained that until now the 1.5 million members of Conservative synagogues had exercised “patience because of our devotion to Israel and its desire not to undermine fundraising efforts on behalf of Israel.”He stressed that in no way should this action be interpreted by anyone not to continue to support “to the utmost of our ability” the United Jewish Appeal, Israel Bonds and other institutions that provide programs and services for Israel and her people.
Abelson pointed out that Conservative conversions are performed strictly according to halacha (Jewish law), sometimes even according to more rigid standards than those demanded by Orthodox Judaism.
In the resolution adopted at the RA’s 85th annual convention in Miami Beach in March, the RA called upon its member rabbis to communicate with local officers of the UJA, State of Israel Bonds, Federations, the Jewish National Fund, Zionist groups and others that they consider not utilizing these individual speakers.
Abelson stressed that the RA could continue to conduct private dialogue both here and in Israel to keep open avenues of communiction with those members of the Knesset who have voted for a change in the Law ot Return and those who voted against it.
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