Eternal Jewish Family Joins Fight Against Religious Zionist Conversions

Rabbi Leib Tropper convened a meeting in Jerusalem to fight against moderate Orthodox conversions – especially…

…conversions done by Israel's Conversion Authority and its head, Rabbi Haim Druckman. Yeshiva World reports:

Gedolei Yisroel at Special Meeting: No Compromise on “Kabolas Ohl Mitzvos” of Converts
June 11, 2008

Jerusalem…An impressive group of Gedolei Yisroel, rabbonim and dayanim reaffirmed the importance of ascertaining the sincerity of potential converts in accepting the “ohl hamitzvos,” at a special meeting organized by the Eternal Jewish Family (EJF) on May 29th. The meeting followed the highly publicized debate in Eretz Yisroel over the assertion that many conversions were lenient about the concept of “kabolas ohl mitzvos” at the time of conversion.

The meeting was opened by Harav Leib Tropper, Rosh Yeshiva, Kol/Yaakov, who serves as the head of Vaad Harabonim of EJF. He noted that the timing was rife for a gathering of yirei hashem on the subject, “which could only lead to positive results.” Harav Shmuel Eliezer Stern, representing the Bais Din of Harav Vosner and Rosh Yeshiva of Chasam Sofer, read a massage from Harav Sholom Yosef Eliyashiv, who warned that “we must be on guard with all our strength to prevent the incursion of foreign concepts (in giyur) into bais yisroel.”

The assembled expressed a great deal of concern about converts who are totally removed from authentic Judaism and who misuse their certificates by dayanim resulting in a great deal of confusion as to their Jewish identity. They suggested that while the convert may never have intentioned to be a shomer mitzvos, they function in society as fully recognized Jews, leading to many halachic problems on their status as well as the status of their offspring. The rabbonim reiterated the spirit and word of the letter of Gedolei Yisroel in 1984 confirming that only geirim who sincerely and genuinely accept ohl mitzvos at the time of conversion can be accepted into klal Yisroel as geirei tzedek.

The rabbonim were particularly concerned about the wholesale geirus of thousands of non-Jews who never have any intention of observing Torah and mitzvos. They urged all rabbonim to be on guard during the application process for marriage to ascertain the background of the couples. The rabbonim singled out for praise the rabbinic committees in many Israeli cities who conduct exhaustive background checks prior to agreeing to officiate at weddings.

Harav Tropper suggested closer scrutiny at time of giyur to determine the sincerity of the potential converts in keeping Torah and mitzvos. He also reiterated the position of Gedolei Yisroel that conversions can only be performed in established batei din and not batei din that are set up for the purpose of doing giyur and whose conversion must be redone. The meeting resolved to embark on an intensive educational campaign amongst local religious councils to emphasize their responsibility in preserving the sanctity of the Jewish nation.

Amongst the participants were Harav Yitzchok Scheiner, Rosh Yeshiva of Kaminetz and a member of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah; Harav Shmuel Deutsch, a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva Kol Torah; Harav Eliyahu Heishirik, Dayan of the Bet Din of Tel Aviv; Harav Mordechai Shlomo Steinmetz, Rav of Chasidei Viznitz, Jerusalem; Harav Moshe Havlin, Rav of Kiryat Gat; Harav Yosef ben Porat, Rosh Yeshiva Ashrei Ha’ish; Harav Nochum Eisenstein, Chairman of the International Committee on giyur affiliated with the beth din of Harav Eliyashiv; Harav Mordechai Kalmanowitz, Director of the Wedding Registry, Ashdod; and Harav Zvi Weinman, a toen.

(Wittten by Lubicom)

A few random points:

1. The meeting was very small.
2. Rabbi Nochum Eisenstein was in all likelihood the driving force behind it.
3. The call for marriage registrars – who, although government functionaries, are predominantly haredi –to "ascertain the background" of couples before registering marriages, if followed, in effect means few Modern Orthodox or Religious Zionist converts will be married.
4. Tropper's statement made in the name of "Gedolei Yisrael" that "conversions can only be performed in established batei din and not batei din that are set up for the purpose of doing giyur and whose conversion must be redone, is a clear call to void all conversions done by Israel's Conversion Authority and Rabbi Druckman. At the same time, Tropper's statement can be read as an attack on the Rabbinical Council of America's new conversion court system.
5. The EJF press release was written by Lubicom – Menachem Lubinsky's PR group. Lubinsky may be best known for being in Rubashkin's employ while at the same time claiming to be an impartial observer of the kosher food industry and editor of its trade journal. Lubinsky achieved this feat by not informing his readers or journalists who contacted him that he was, in fact, in Rubashkin's employ.

[Hat Tip: Michelle.]

Comments

[steve]

That last line "written by Lubicom" says it all.

Also, read more about the Rubashkin convictions at:

http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/19543/300+Now+Convicted+&+Sentenced+Following+May+Arrests+In+Postville.html

[steve]

http://tinyurl.com/6hrtcp

[Ma Rabbi]

The problem here is "wholesale conversions" The IDF alone is now converting 600 people a year. Do these people have any intention of keeping Torah and Mitzvohs. The fact is that "kabolas Mitzvohs" is an integral part of Giyur. No less important than Bris and Mikveh.

[Angry]

These black robed old farts are criminals.

[DisgustedWithTheseRabbis]

The meeting followed the highly publicized debate in Eretz Yisroel over the assertion that many conversions were lenient about the concept of “kabolas ohl mitzvos” at the time of conversion.

I used to just take this all for granted.

Now, though, for the first time . . . looking at that picture, it just makes me sick.

Look at them, sitting around the table in their costumes, so holier-than-thou with the arrogance to believe that their own obsessive-compulsive interpretation of "kabalat ul mitvot" is the correct one. They remind me of Christian monks - cloaked in silly costumes and so removed from the real world and the challenges facing the average person - and the Christian bishops - so highly exalted and holding "power" and "authority" over the followers - passing judgements, making rules, passing bans and regulations just because it fits with their own idiosyncracies - and because THEY CAN.

When I look at them, I see nothing of G-d, nothing of Divine compassion, of the Being of whom it is said, "his tender mercies are over all his works." I look at them I do not feel that I am looking upon spiritual role-models, I see nothing about them or their actions that I feel moved - either by my own self or by the Divine - to emulate.

I look upon them only with disgust.

It is my prayer that one day soon, Clal Yisroel will wake up and abandon these caricatures of spirituality and leave them to themselves so they can huddle and congregate and pound their fists on their tables in their own miserable little conclaves that no one pays any attention to.

May it happen speedily in our time.

[J.D.]

"It is my prayer that one day soon, Clal Yisroel will wake up and abandon these caricatures of spirituality..."

I have good news for you, people are already abandoning the "gedolim." And they are doing it in droves.

[a reader]

gotta love that they call this a meeting of 'gedolei yisrael.' with all due respect (not sure how much though), there is not a single person listed in attendance who even the most extreme of chareidim would term 'gedolei yisrael.'

[rabbidw]

I have a gadol test. If someone opened his mout to say "how can you censor and ban a book that is written in a language that you cannot read and do not understand, without at the VERY LEAST speaking with the author, in your language, yiddish, to find out if he said what you thought he said?" The man that opened his mouth to protest is a gadol. The man who censored the book is a kattan she bekattanim. My old roomate Leibel Tropper is a book burner from way back. A genius, but with an 8th grade education and is as ignorant as a mule and proud of his ignorance.

[Simon Rose]

The is pure BS!

Since when are the Jewish people subject to the Haredi Rabbi's like these???

When did they become the last word for the Kal Yisrael in Halacha???

[steve]

Tropper is trying to monopolize the geirus industry. It's like Rubashkin trying to monopolize the meat industry by using bullying tactics. He figures he can get his way by destroying the crediblity of other rabbis that are in the business. Meanwhile, he is the one who is lacking in credibility and integrity. Kashrus and geirus are two important areas that need a complete overhaul. It begins by exposing the frauds and hucksters that have turned religion into a mafia-style business.

[michelle]

B"H

The reason they hired a PR firm is that they need good PR for the take-over of Judiasm. They want to make everyone think there is only one definition of Qabbalat Mitzvot --theirs.They don't care about lives and souls, they only care about power.

No one voluntarily gives up power, it must be taken.

ICE took Rubashkin's power. Who will take the power away from these High Priests of the Church of BS? How many good people will be destroyed before we do?

I'm betting the only answer to this mess is to dissolve the Rabbinate.

[rebitzman]

++Since when are the Jewish people subject to the Haredi Rabbi's like these???++

We're not.

Problem is - there are of a lot of "us" too damned dumb to know it and too blinded by the silly idea that a bunch of men dressed up like 16th century Poles somehow represent "original" Judaism.

[Yochanan Lavie]

I heard Tropper is a fat behaimah gasseh. Maybe he can sit on converts he disapproves of.

[in the know]

Eternal Jewish Family is funded by a very wealthy person with intermarried children, and its main leader (leib tropper) married a convert. It's all about controlling the conversion industry by buying people off, so that people who married non-Jews can get them converted. When Rav Hershel Shachter found out about this, he promptly stopped having anything to do with them. They tried to bribe him, but he held firm.

[Simon Rose]

++Since when are the Jewish people subject to the Haredi Rabbi's like these???++

........We're not.

Problem is - there are of a lot of "us" too damned dumb to know it and too blinded by the silly idea that a bunch of men dressed up like 16th century Poles somehow represent "original" Judaism.......

Thank You I agree.

The jews really need to wake up and put these people in their place they're out of control and getting worse every day.

[Dr Fred]

Ma Rabba: Interesting that you didn't mention Bar Mitzvah. How many keep it for more than a weeK? Shall we get rid of that also?

[yudel]

there are complications in gerut...however if one asks or reads the conditions to met in the sephardi world you will pause and say..'this Rabbi Tropper has his own brand of zeal in mind or shoud i say he own brandd of mindless need for cavod...'

there is no way to talk with on this subject....he speaks machine gun yeshivishe peppre with loads of outrage..

of course we all know this outrage is passive aggressive....the real deal here is that many in power are afraid that
have out of nowhere fallen awake into their lives.
this messes up the entire paradigm..

[yudel]

excuse the beyond bad writing ..slach li
i meant the real deal here is many people in power now are afraid for out of nowhere many are now falling awake into their lives.'

This ruins the paradigm. No more play dates.

[evanstonjew]

One peshara in my mind is to allow the Druckman conversions to stand, but for those who think they are inadequate to establish a pinkus that would not include these gerim as Jews .While they are at it they can exclude children where the father is Jewish but not the mother and anyone else they think is not worthy of being included in the Jewish people. But for purposes of basic citizenship in Israel a broader and more inclusive definition should apply.

The puzzle is what incentive can be offered to the charedim so they will agree to a compromise?

[Plenty of Incentives]

The puzzle is what incentive can be offered to the charedim so they will agree to a compromise?

Tell them that if they don't compromise:

1)No more funding
2)No more military exemptions
3)Israel will move toward the European model regarding marriage: the only state-recognized marriages are (secular) civil marriages. Religious marriage ceremonies are for religious/cultural/familial purposes only and have no standing with the state.
4)No more religious offices of any type within the government.
5)This kind of goes along with 1: They will have to get jobs.

[MalachHamovies]

Shmayra,

Check out EJF website. Brooklyn Wolf provides the link in his latest post. Tropper bashes all bloggers especially you for "not telling the truth". Check it out.

[Shmarya]

It's been up for a couple of weeks.

Tropper and EJF misrepresent what the Jewcy article says and fail to mention that Tropper was given several opportunities over almost two years to tell his and EJF's side of the story.Tropper refused to do so.

[MalachHamovies]

Didn't know that. Thanks !

[MalachHamovies]

Didn't know that. Thanks !

[Jimmy]

"Eternal Jewish Family is funded by a very wealthy person with intermarried children,"

If you can write this you are not "in the know."

You know nothing. That person's children are not even bar mitzvah.

[ORLY!?]

Funny, I know a Charedi convert from Rav Eisenstein's own program, who is now marring a goy. A guy was already seeing, before converting.
Also at this same 'Charedi' program, they have no problem allowing a man to sleep in the women's' apartment.
Nor do they have problems telling blatant lies about other converts, even go out of their way to prevent a kosher orthodox wedding.