After months of formulations and adjustments, the Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana will this Sunday submit the Conversion Law for discussion and voting in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation.
The law that was submitted was written in consultation with Rabbi Chaim Druckman and other senior religious Zionist rabbis, conversion judges and experts on the subject of conversion.
Under the new law, the existing conversion system will for the first time receive state recognition under the law and thus strengthen the position of the Chief Rabbinate on the issue of conversion. For the first time, the law will stipulate that the conversion in the state conversion system will operate in accordance with Torah law.
Municipal rabbis will be able to establish courts for conversion within the framework of the state conversion system under one system of rules of procedure, supervision, control and uniform certificates for all.
A "Municipal Rabbis" division will be established in the conversion department, which will provide administrative services to the municipal rabbis' associations. In addition, a committee of rabbis will be established to formulate the rules of procedure under which all courts will be obligated to carry out the conversions.
The Chief Rabbi, the Steering Committee and the Chief Rabbinical Council have the authority to cancel the appointment of a conversion judge in a controlled manner in the event of a violation of the rules of procedure.
Minister Kahana stated: "In the State of Israel live almost half a million citizens whose father or grandfather was Jewish but according to Halakha are not Jews. They are part of us. Torah scholars of all generations have decided that great efforts must be made to 'bring them home'."
''I thank the public and all the professionals who commented and contributed their time to the legislative process. I call on the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Chief Rabbis to continue discussing the law and together we will work to reach a law that will increase conversions according to Halakha and strengthen the Jewish identity of the state," Kahana added.