Hundreds of rabbis from the haredi and religious Zionist sectors took part Tuesday evening in a conference and demonstration at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem against the kashrut and conversion reforms of Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana.
In recent weeks, since the final version of the conversion reform was published, the Religious Affairs Minister has been trying to recruit rabbis to support his outline, but with the exception of a few individual rabbis, even if relatively influential, most rabbis have made it clear they oppose the reform.
Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu explained to Israel National News why the negotiations with Minister Kahana over the conversion reform did not continue: "We would happily talk to everyone to improve the status of the Chief Rabbinate. All the talks on the issues of kashrut and conversion, all of them have come to naught, because they are unable to move away from the coalition agreement. They are committed to Liberman, Meretz and the Labor Party."
"It is not in the hands of Matan Kahana or Bennett, it is in the hands of the extreme left and extremist institutes that have drafted the law and are trying to impose their agenda on us. It will not stand.
Rabbi Eliyahu emphasized: "The conversion system is the gateway to the people of Israel, if it is broken all the Reform and the illegal infiltrators will be able to enter through it, it is not practical. We have to fight here because it is a more serious issue than kashrut or other issues."