It was reported today that the Jewish Agency is planning to open a four-week conversion program for Russians who are about to make aliyah [immigrate to Israel]. The program, dubbed "Mt. Sinai," will be run according to Orthodox Jewish Law in an unnamed Eastern European country. Orthodox rabbinical courts manned by Israeli rabbis will be established at the site, and will complete the process of converting the candidates to Judaism.
Arutz-7's Haggai Segal spoke today with Rabbi Yisrael Rosenne, who once served as head of the Chief Rabbinate's conversion authority and is now a judge on a rabbinical conversion court. "It is said that the background for the Jewish Agency's plan," Segal said, "is that last year, out of 2,000 olim who supposedly expressed a desire to convert, only 500 were converted, and that's why Jewish Agency wanted to rush it up. What do you say?"
Rabbi Rosenne: "I don't know of 2,000 who turned to us. I can say that some 90% of those who have turned to us have in fact been converted, but the fact is that the reason why there are so few converts is because there is little motivation to convert. In general, the Jewish Agency faces a problem of demographics and of too many non-Jewish immigrants, so it is trying to look for the coin under the street lamp [instead of trying to find the proper solution] by running this program. In truth, it's hard to understand this program or to see how it can succeed; I don't know how accurate the reports are. For one thing, why is it measured in time - four weeks? It can even take a minute if the person was raised as a religious Jew, but much longer if he has to start from scratch. And how can it be Orthodox if it will only take a month? I know of no Orthodox rabbis, even among those who are considered more lenient such as Rabbis Druckman and Lior, who would do such a thing. And why does it have to be done outside Israel?"
Segal: "The Jewish Agency says that desire to convert among the olim plunges from 40% among those who have still not come to Israel, to 6% among those who are already here."
Rabbi Rosenne: "I believe those numbers are correct, and I have long said that it is important to begin the process at the countries of origin - as the Jewish Agency did in the past... In general, there can be much criticism, and I have many suggestions, but everything must be done with consensus, whether it be the Chief Rabbinate or other."
Segal: "Why are so few conversions carried out? There are 300,000 non-Jews in the country, and at this rate [it will not be good]. Could it be because the olim have heard that the Rabbinical courts take too long?"
Rabbi Rosenne: "The process is not long. The program involves 400 hours of study as a minimum, and in fact, the students like the studies, so that's not the problem. It's just that they don't have motivation, nor the awareness; the Absorption Ministry has to do more in this area. But let it be clear: 80 or 90% of those who come to us are converted their first time - but there are not so many. There is a big bluff going on here, as if many thousands are interested, but the fact is that very few people are interested in Orthodox conversion, because they know that even the most lenient way of interpreting the basic requirement of 'accepting the yoke of the commandments' is not so easy… The fact is that there is low motivation among the new olim to convert, because the society here does not demand it… [This is partially due to the decision by Shas] to erase the "nationality" clause from citizens' identity cards (which they did in order not to have those who were "converted" by Reform rabbis listed as Jews), which took away a major motivation of the olim to convert; now they won't even get the word 'Jew' on their ID card for converting!"
Arutz-7's Haggai Segal spoke today with Rabbi Yisrael Rosenne, who once served as head of the Chief Rabbinate's conversion authority and is now a judge on a rabbinical conversion court. "It is said that the background for the Jewish Agency's plan," Segal said, "is that last year, out of 2,000 olim who supposedly expressed a desire to convert, only 500 were converted, and that's why Jewish Agency wanted to rush it up. What do you say?"
Rabbi Rosenne: "I don't know of 2,000 who turned to us. I can say that some 90% of those who have turned to us have in fact been converted, but the fact is that the reason why there are so few converts is because there is little motivation to convert. In general, the Jewish Agency faces a problem of demographics and of too many non-Jewish immigrants, so it is trying to look for the coin under the street lamp [instead of trying to find the proper solution] by running this program. In truth, it's hard to understand this program or to see how it can succeed; I don't know how accurate the reports are. For one thing, why is it measured in time - four weeks? It can even take a minute if the person was raised as a religious Jew, but much longer if he has to start from scratch. And how can it be Orthodox if it will only take a month? I know of no Orthodox rabbis, even among those who are considered more lenient such as Rabbis Druckman and Lior, who would do such a thing. And why does it have to be done outside Israel?"
Segal: "The Jewish Agency says that desire to convert among the olim plunges from 40% among those who have still not come to Israel, to 6% among those who are already here."
Rabbi Rosenne: "I believe those numbers are correct, and I have long said that it is important to begin the process at the countries of origin - as the Jewish Agency did in the past... In general, there can be much criticism, and I have many suggestions, but everything must be done with consensus, whether it be the Chief Rabbinate or other."
Segal: "Why are so few conversions carried out? There are 300,000 non-Jews in the country, and at this rate [it will not be good]. Could it be because the olim have heard that the Rabbinical courts take too long?"
Rabbi Rosenne: "The process is not long. The program involves 400 hours of study as a minimum, and in fact, the students like the studies, so that's not the problem. It's just that they don't have motivation, nor the awareness; the Absorption Ministry has to do more in this area. But let it be clear: 80 or 90% of those who come to us are converted their first time - but there are not so many. There is a big bluff going on here, as if many thousands are interested, but the fact is that very few people are interested in Orthodox conversion, because they know that even the most lenient way of interpreting the basic requirement of 'accepting the yoke of the commandments' is not so easy… The fact is that there is low motivation among the new olim to convert, because the society here does not demand it… [This is partially due to the decision by Shas] to erase the "nationality" clause from citizens' identity cards (which they did in order not to have those who were "converted" by Reform rabbis listed as Jews), which took away a major motivation of the olim to convert; now they won't even get the word 'Jew' on their ID card for converting!"