May 5, 2015 by Susan Rosenbluth
In Israel, the so-called “Conversion Law,” a bill that would allow local rabbis, rather than only members of the Chief Rabbinate, to initiate and complete the conversion process, is on the table in the negotiations to form a new government. Some say the bill represents a necessary reorganization of the bureaucracy that currently controls the conversion process in Israel. Others believe that, even though it stipulates that the Chief Rabbinate must give final approval, the new law would still “water down” the process. On The Jewish Voice’s Facebook website, the question last month was: Do you favor the conversion bill? I favor it, because no one has the moral or ethical right to coerce another to abide by anyone else’s religious dictates. If a person decides to follow Judaism, that is a private...
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