The Rabbinical Assembly, the association of Conservative rabbis, declared in a statement that whether a rabbi is Reform, Conservative or Orthodox, his conversions “must be recognized by the Israeli authorities if they have been carried out according to the requirements of Jewish tradition.” The statement, issued by the Rabbinical Assembly’s Committee on Jewish Law and Standards, was the latest development in a dispute stemming from demands of the National Religious Party that conversions by non-Orthodox rabbis of Jews coming to Israel under the Law of Return be rejected.
The Rabbinical Assembly statement said Conservative Judaism has always required that conversions be performed in accordance with halacha, and that “we therefore do not object to the fact that the halachic definition of who is a valid Jewish convert is proposed as a test for admission to Israel under the Law of Return.”
But the statement said Conservative Judaism insists that “the requirements for valid conversion be recognized as having been fulfilled regardless of who is the officiating rabbi. It is not who is involved but rather whether the halachic requirements have been met. Whether the rabbi belongs to the Reform, Conservative or Orthodox group within Judaism, his conversions must be recognized by the Israeli authorities if they have been carried out according to the requirements of the Jewish tradition.”
The statement added that “we do vigorously object to the current practice of the Israeli religious authorities who ipso facto disqualify the religious ritual acts performed by non-Orthodox rabbis in Israel even though they have been carried out in full accordance with traditional requirements.”
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