Landmark ruling paves way for Israel to recognise non-Orthodox conversion
Monday's High Court decision could allow converts through the Reform and Conservative streams to apply for Israeli citizenship
Michael Daventry is Jewish News’s foreign and broadcast editor
People who choose non-Orthodox streams of conversion to Judaism inside Israel must be allowed to obtain citizenship, a top Israeli court has decided.
Monday’s landmark ruling requires the Interior Ministry to formally recognise conversions by other movements, such as Reform or Conservative, that are performed within the country.
Israeli authorities previously only accepted non-Orthodox conversions under the Law of Return only if they had been performed abroad.
The ruling is politically divisive in Israel, where it was welcomed by progressive and left-wing factions and denounced by right-wing and Strictly Orthodox movements.
The court case was based on two petitions submitted in 2005 by 12 converts whose citizenship applications had been refused by the authorities.
There have been repeated delays in a ruling because successive Israeli governments have requested time to pass a law recognising non-Orthodox conversions.
But no government has ever successfully produced one.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid, who leads the centrist Yesh Atid, said Israel “must fully equalise the rights of all streams of Judaism — Orthodox, Reform and Conservative”.
מברך על פסיקת בג״ץ בנושא הגיור. ישראל צריכה להשוות באופן מלא את זכויות כל זרמי היהדות – אורתודוקסים, רפורמים וקונסרבטיביים. כולנו צריכים לחיות פה יחד מתוך סובלנות וכבוד הדדי. ממשלה שפויה תשים קץ למצב שבו דווקא ישראל היא הדמוקרטיה היחידה בעולם שבה אין חופש דת ליהודים.
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid???? (@yairlapid) March 1, 2021
But Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing Yamina, said the ruling was an intervention in government decisions.
Israel’s recognition of conversion “will be determined by the democratically elected representatives of the people, and not by jurists,” he wrote on Twitter.
The ruling was also criticised by Israel’s Sephardi chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and his Askenazi counterpart, David Lau, who said: “Those who converted through Reform conversions and the like are not Jewish. No High Court decision will change that fact.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the ruling, the Times of Israel reported.
Monday’s ruling was approved by eight of the nine justices sitting on the High Court, with the one dissenting judge — Noam Solberg — arguing the authorities should be allowed more time to pass legislation.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
