A large number of rabbis, headed by Israel's leading rabbis, are expected to attend a conference on Wednesday against the conversion process reform recommendations submitted to the government by former Minister Moshe Nissim.
Rabbis from the national religious and haredi sectors will take part in the conference to express firm opposition to the recommendations, which, among other things, are likely to grant state recognition of Reform movement conversions abroad.
Among participants will be Jerusalem Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, former Israel Chief Rabbi Meir Lau, Council of Torah Sages member Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Chaim Steiner and others.
At the conference the rabbis will discuss the "many dangers" they identify in the report submitted by Moshe Nissim and the need to strengthen the position of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel at a time when various organizations are deliberately trying to weaken it.
"We hope the resolute statement of the conference will bring to the general public the rabbis' concern about the Jewish character of the State and will place before us the great responsibility to preserve the wholeness and Jewishness of the Jewish people."
Nissim is son of former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Yitzhak Nissim (1955-72), who was extremely sympathetic to those Anousim (descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities who were forced to convert to Christianity during the Inquisition) who wanted to return to Judaism, writing many opinions on the subject.
