Rabbi Lookstein
Rabbi LooksteinBeit Hillel

Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, tha rabbi of the Kehilat Yeshurun Congregation ​​in New York and a prominent Modern Orthodox rabbi in the US, again protested the fact that Israel's Supreme Rabbinical Court refuses to recognize his conversions.

Last week, Rabbi Lookstein attended a conference of the rabbinical organization Beit Hillel and said that "My relationship with and love for Israel were not hurt when the Chief Rabbinate rejected my conversions, but it is a decision that created a divide between Jews and threatens to tear us apart.

''I do not believe in theological pluralism, but I believe in practical pluralism." said Rabbi Lookstein. "We must find a common path to bring us together. We must stop being afraid and act to break down the barriers between the Orthodox and the Reform."

Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky also attended the conference and said that "Two and a half million people worldwide attended Reform and Consertative shuls over the High Holy Days. There is no other way to reach these people, certainly not in such numbers."

''Our challenge today is to learn how to fight assimilation and not to blame assimilation on this denomination or that denomination. I'm not concerned about disagreements between the denominations. I am concerned about the stand taken by the State of Israel. We are spending a lot of money to broadcast the message that we welcome everyone, but in practice the opposite is true." Sharansky added.