The Ne'emanei Torah v'Avodah movement has issued its response to Interior Minister Aryeh Deri's plan to put an end to all non-State-approved conversions.
"It distresses us to see this sensitive matter of conversions being used as a cynical political tool," their statement reads. "Deri clearly wants to fight the Religious-Zionist rabbinical courts who conduct orthodox conversions according to Jewish law, and seeks primarily to damage the "Giur K'halacha" [conversions according to Jewish law] rabbinical courts established by Rabbi Rabinovitch ob"m, due to political calculations. As such, he does grave damage to the many people who convert each year.
"We call on all political leaders to stop this attempt to make political gains at the expense of converts, and to show responsibility and level-headedness, in order to avoid placing excessive obstacles in their way."