Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem and former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, issued a new ruling Monday opposing the new conversion plan currently being formulated by the Minister of Religions, Matan Kahana.
Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, and Rabbi Tzion Boaron, also signed Rabbi Amar's letter.
The ruling reads that "These days the public has learned that they are planning a new outline for the conversion law in Israel. We were asked by many rabbis and judges to express our halakhic opinion on this matter. After we have considered the matter seriously, we have announced the clear and well-known halakhah that conversion is not a legal and not a political term, but conversion is a pure and distinct halakhic concept."
"In light of this, we issue the following Torah ruling, which does not validate a conversion that was done improperly but only one that was done according to the explicit instructions of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel," the rabbis added.
The Chief Rabbinical Council convened earlier today to discuss the conversion outline and the kashrut outline of the Minister of Religious Affairs, Matan Kahana. The meeting was also attended by Rabbi Chaim Drukman, one of the leading religious Zionist rabbis, who added his approval to the council's decision.
At the end of the meeting, the council issued a statement with their decision regarding the conversion outline, which reads: "Recently, bills have come to the table from the Israeli government that aim to change religious matters in the State of Israel. One of them is a state conversion bill in Israel."
"The conversion process is the entry ticket to be part of the Jewish people. This procedure is determined according to Halacha. Any decision in this area must be approved by the Chief Rabbis of Israel and the Chief Rabbinical Council of Israel as well as the consent of the majority of Israeli rabbis in Israel and the Diaspora." said the rabbis.