Decision on disputed conversion bill deferred by 6 months

Work on the controversial conversion bill that sparked a crisis with Diaspora Jewry will be postponed by six months during which a special committee will try to devise a compromise.

The bill, introduced by the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties, seeks to afford the Chief Rabbinate far-reaching powers with respect to individuals who convert to Judaism, including the power to disqualify conversions performed by Reform and Conservative rabbis overseas as well as those performed by military rabbis, essentially giving the Chief Rabbinate a monopoly on this issue.

Friday's decision was made after a Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned the heads of the coalition parties to an urgent meeting to discuss the bill, decried especially by the Jewish community in the U.S. The discussion soon grew heated, and at one point United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni and Shas leader Aryeh Deri stormed out of the meeting.

Nevertheless, the two eventually agreed to defer work on the proposed legislation for six months. It was also agreed that should the High Court of Justice deny the state's request on the matter and move to hear a petition filed against it by the Israeli Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, the parties will adhere to the coalition agreement that gives the haredi parties the power to preserve the status quo, including pushing the conversion bill through.

During Friday's meeting Netanyahu and Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett locked horns over the government decision last week to shelve the plan to open an egalitarian prayer area at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, which drew scathing criticism from Reform Jews and Diaspora Jewish communities and contributed to the crisis with American Jewry.

Bennett criticized the prime minister over the fact the vote on the Western Wall prayer compromise was sprung on the minister, to which Netanyahu retorted, "You also said you didn’t know about [Hamas' grid of terror] tunnels."

Bennett and Kulanu leader Moshe Kahlon protested the fact that the current conversion bill would effectively turns the Chief Rabbinate into a monopoly, saying it was essential to allow municipal rabbis to oversee conversion processes, which Deri slammed as a "blatant violation" of the coalition deal.

Netanyahu stressed that "peace within the Jewish people is important to me, both as prime minister of Israel and personally, as a member of the Jewish people. Therefore, I convened the coalition partners and we reached the following conclusion: The petitioners and the government agree to suspend all proceedings -- the High Court petition and the conversion bill, which will allow for the formation of a team that would have six months to devise a solution.

"We will ask the High Court for a continuance on Sunday, to facilitate the team's efforts. I hope the High Court will grant this joint petition because it will allow for cooler heads to prevail and also open the door to hope for an agreed-upon solution."

Placing an emphasis on the need for national unity, Kahlon said, "Israel's true national resilience and security stems from unity. The ties between the people in Zion and their brothers in the Diaspora is a strong and we must protect it. In the past, the Jewish people paid dearly for their internal rifts and we cannot go back to those times. I expect all parties to sit down and resume [negotiations] until we reach an agreed outline. It's time to act for the unity of the people."

Kulanu MK Michael Oren, formerly Israel's ambassador to the U.S., said that "in the past week, the crisis between Israel and American Jewry reached a boiling point, highlighting tensions that have existed for some time.

"To prevent this crisis and avoid a rift between us, the conversion bill cannot be allowed to pass, and the government's decision on the Western Wall prayer compromise must be implemented."

Oren stressed that "the damage that has been caused this week must be rectified. We strongly oppose moves that could intensify the crisis with Diaspora Jewry, and the recent moves dealt a blow to our brothers in the Diaspora. Moreover, Diaspora Jewry's efforts and lobbying on Israel's behalf and their donations to Israel are vital. These recent moves constitute a real danger to the Israeli economy and national security."

'Resume dialogue'

The opposition lambasted Netanyahu for both decisions.

"The prime minister's capitulation to the haredim on the issues of the Western Wall [prayer compromise] and the conversion bill is the last example of how Netanyahu has lost control and all checks and balances in the endless coalition crises that have followed the elections," Zionist Union MK Amir Peretz said.

Zionist Union MK Nachman Shai, who heads the Knesset's Lobby for Strengthening the Jewish World, said that "the failure of the [Western Wall] compromise shows that it is impossible to cure scars with a Band-Aid -- it requires remedies the prime minister simply doesn't have.

"The prime minister's desperate attempt to appease the Jewish community in the United States by postponing work on this bill or forming a public committee is no more than a smokescreen. This bill must be shelved. Both the conversion bill and the new Western Wall arrangement are unnecessary, harmful and outrageous, and both should be annulled," he said.

The Jewish Agency welcomed the decision to suspend work on the conversion bill, saying, "We hope to reach a solution that would bolster the Jewish people's unity. Down the line, we hope to reach understandings on a Western Wall framework in accordance with past agreements."

The Jewish Agency added the organization "welcomes the fact that the intensive discussions and concerted efforts by many ministers and partners to resolve the crisis of the conversion bill have borne fruit. This effort, conducted in the spirit of understanding and a desire to find a compromise, now affords all parties six months to reach a solution. We hope that the team appointed by the prime minister will reach agreements that will bolster the unity of the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora."

The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism in Israel issued a statement saying Friday's decision "to postpone further action on the offensive 'convention bill' is an important rebuke to the aggressive behavior of the ultra-Orthodox towards Diaspora Jewry and the non-Orthodox streams. That is why we supported the temporary delay.

"We hope this decision marks a return to a process of dialogue on this issue. We will continue insisting that the Haredi establishment not have a monopoly over conversion and if need be, we will not hesitate to go back to the courtroom.

"We expect the prime minister to act in a similar way on the despicable decision made regarding the Kotel [Western Wall]. We will not allow the unity of the Jewish people to be placed in the hands of parties and politicians who have hardened their hearts to compromise, mutual respect and dialogue. We have no doubt that most coalition parties, just like most of Israeli society, believe in these values, and we expect them to act upon them immediately also regarding the Kotel resolution. As long as this one-sided government decision is not over turned, the crisis in the Jewish world will continue," the statement said.

Over the weekend, dozens of prominent national-religious rabbis -- Safed's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Petach Tikva's Chief Rabbi Micha Levy, and Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, head of the Ateret Yerushalayim Yeshiva in Jerusalem, expressed their support for Netanyahu's actions.

In a letter sent to the prime minister, the rabbis wrote, "We would like to congratulate and support the Israeli government of and its leader, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, for the important decision to preserve the sanctity of the Western Wall and their actions to bolster the state conversion system. These moves fortify the Jewish character of the state and safeguard the unity of the Jewish people.

"We believe that the Western Wall, which is holy throughout its entire length, as well as all issues of Judaism, Halachah and public law in the State of Israel, should continue to be supervised by the Chief Rabbinate. We hope that the government will continue to bolster Israel's Jewish identity," the letter concluded.

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