People who are insincere enough to return to their former religion (or non-religion) after a conversion to Judaism make me very angry and frustrated! These people make those of use who are sincere converts look like frauds and make life even more difficult for us.
(IsraelNN.com) Counsel for the Rabbinical Court System, Rabbi Atty. Shimon Yaakobi, determined in a formal legal opinion that rabbinical courts have the authority to rule on the validity of conversions to Judaism, provided that the conversion issue is raised in the context of marriage or divorce proceedings. In Israel, marriage and divorce matters fall under the jurisdiction of the relevant religious courts.
[snip]
Under Jewish law, as Yaakobi detailed, fraudulent conversions can be declared in the case of a convert who returns to his or her former lifestyle or rejects Judaic law shortly after the conversion. In such a case, even when the convert was deemed sincere at the time of conversion by a rabbinical conversion court, the legal status of the individual becomes, at best, questionable. Therefore, the person may be required to obtain a formal Jewish bill of divorce on the one hand, but may not be allowed to marry a Jew on the other.
Ilana has been living a double life in Israel. Though her first visit was as a Catholic, she ultimately decided to convert to Judaism, and following her conversion in Italy in 2006, she moved to Israel. Incredibly, despite the fact that the (Orthodox) Chief Rabbinate certifies her conversion, the civil organs of the State of Israel continue to deny her basic rights as a citizen. [read the rest of the article]
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Is this really true? Generally it is the other way around – the civil authorities will accept someone but the Orthodox Rabbinate will not. Is it just me or does it seem as if (some) of the Orthodox Rabbinate in Israel not want converts at all?!
(IsraelNN.com) In a powerful echo of the Biblical story of the patriarch Abraham, a Mumbai doctor smashed his father’s idols and eventually decided to become a Jew in the Land of Israel. [rest of the story]
(IsraelNN.com) The Ministry of Immigration and Absorption reports success in recruiting religious-Zionist families to “accompany” would-be converts, but still needs another 2,000. [rest of the story]
This is a great cause and is very much needed in the State of Israel. An “adoptive family” makes conversion a lot easier and a lot of the mitzvot and Jewish life issues are made easier to understand.
