Sefardic Chief Rabbi Moves To Ban Controversial Haredi Rabbi From Judging Conversion Cases

"Recently, conversion cases have become the focus of public scrutiny. Groups have taken advantage of the controversy surrounding these cases to attempt to limit the jurisdiction of the Rabbinical Courts. As a result, I am exercising my power...to personally choose panels of judges that will rule on conversion cases."

Amar moves to bar controversial rabbinic judge from conversion cases

Matthew Wagner , THE JERUSALEM POST

In a move that pits him against the haredi rabbinical establishment and endears him to thousands of converts to Judaism, Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Amar issued a written order that effectively bars a controversial haredi rabbinical judge from adjudicating in conversion cases.

"Recently, conversion cases have become the focus of public scrutiny," wrote Amar in a letter to Rabbi Eliyahu Ben-Dahan, administrative head of the Rabbinical Courts. "Groups have taken advantage of the controversy surrounding these cases to attempt to limit the jurisdiction of the Rabbinical Courts. As a result, I am exercising my power... to personally choose panels of judges that will rule on conversion cases."

Amar's directive would allow him to remove from a conversion case any judge - but it is seen as being directed, in particular, at Rabbi Avraham Sherman, a judge on the High Rabbinical Court who one week ago issued his second highly controversial halachic opinion on a divorce case involving a woman who converted to Judaism.

As in his previous ruling of more than a year ago, Sherman questioned not only the validity of the woman in the divorce case but also all contemporary Orthodox conversions - especially those performed by the National Conversion Authority, which is under Amar's supervision - and called to protect the purity of the Jewish people from "invasion" by gentiles undergoing "bogus" conversion ceremonies. In addition, Sherman declared that only the haredi rabbinical establishment was qualified to adjudicate on conversion matters; Sherman did not mention Amar as part of this "legitimate" rabbinical establishment.

In the wake of the publication of Sherman's opinion, Amar came under pressure to clarify his stand, said a senior source in the Rabbinical Court Administration.

"Rabbi Amar could not simply remain quiet any longer," said the source. "Sherman's opinion basically undermined Rabbi Amar's authority. He had to do something."

Amar's spokesman denied that the new directive was aimed against Sherman.

"Nowhere in the letter is Sherman mentioned," said the spokesman.

Amar's attempt, through his spokesman, to play down the sidelining of Sherman is in accordance with the non-confrontational style that has characterized his leadership style since he took office as chief rabbi more than five years ago.

However, a representative of the haredi rabbinical establishment rejected Amar's spokesman's attempts to sidestep a direct confrontation and vowed that Amar would be "punished" for coming out against Sherman.

Rabbi Nahum Eisenstein, who is closely aligned with Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, considered the preeminent halachic authority of Ashkenazi haredi Jewry, said in response: "If reports regarding Amar's letter are true, our rabbis will come out with a very serious reaction. Rabbi Amar has crossed a red line and he is directly undermining the halachic validity of conversions in Israel."

Meanwhile, in a meeting with Absorption Minister Sofa Landver on Wednesday, Amar reiterated his commitment to recognize all conversions performed by the Conversion Authority, according to Landver's spokesman.

Landver voiced her concern that Sherman's attack on the Conversion Authority would discourage potential converts from converting.

"No one will be willing to go through the trouble of converting if there is a real fear that, sometime down the road, the conversion will simply be annulled," she said.

According to data presented to Amar by Landver, there are 320,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union who received automatic citizenship under the Law of Return but who are not Jewish according to halachic criteria - 80,000 of whom are under the age of 18.

The National Conversion Authority was set up to streamline the conversion process in the hope of converting these non-Jewish Israelis. Both secular and Orthodox Israelis see these non-Jews, who are fully integrated into Israeli society, as a potential threat to the cohesion of Israeli society because they challenge the congruity between Israeli and Jewish identities.

Also, because these non-Jews have no other religious definition, they cannot marry in Israel and must travel abroad. Only members of a recognized religion - Christianity, Islam or Judaism - can marry in Israel.

The haredi community's stringent approach to conversions is seen by secular and modern Orthodox Israelis as counterproductive since it blocks potential converts from becoming Jews - thus increasing pressure to provide civil marriages. It also increases the chances of intermarriage.

Meanwhile, haredim argue that relaxing conversion criteria empties the conversion act of any meaning and, therefore, does not solve the problem of intermarriage.

[Hat Tip: Joel Katz.]

Comments

[Ben]

Why it took 2 years for Amar to act? Why only Shermann is banned, while there were number of other rabbis seating with him on beit din? Why he is only banned from conversion cases and not thrown out of his position alltogether?

What about Attias who startet it all? What about Sheinin? ....

[Ben]

Furthermore, Amar's method of solving a problem is problematic in itself. What would happen when someone like Sherman will become a chief rabbi and conversion authority is already centralized in one person's hands?

Decentralization is the solution. Separation of religion and state is necessary.

[itchiemayer]

In Amar and Metzger, we have probably the most incompetent chief Rabbis Israel has ever had.

[Dr. Dave]

At least he did something postive unlike all the k'tanim!!

[Dr. Dave]

Only members of a recognized religion - Christianity, Islam or Judaism - can marry in Israel.

Maybe it's time to get the church of the fsm recognized in Israel. I wonder how the exploding arab extremists would view pastafarians in Jerusalem?

[Shlomo]

Did the chareidi spokesman really say that R Amar will be "punished"?
Is this their idea of Koved or of Yiddishkeit which I always believed preaches Ahavas Yisrael as a fundamental tenet

[Dr. Dave]

I wonder how the rock throwing chareidi extremists would view the flying spaghetti monster?

[Simcha Plisner]

Meaningless gesture. The main problem is a dysfunctional religious system which is not being addressed.

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

Kol haPoseil pasul.

However, a representative of the haredi rabbinical establishment rejected Amar's spokesman's attempts to sidestep a direct confrontation and vowed that Amar would be "punished" for coming out against Sherman.

God these people suck! Their puny little minds can't win by their wits and intellect, so they go with the thuggish behavior.

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

...and called to protect the purity of the Jewish people from "invasion" by gentiles undergoing "bogus" conversion ceremonies.

I think I learned it from this site, that 40% of Ashkenazim -- proven by DNA research -- came from one of two goyishe women. I'm so sure that Jewish men making their way as the first Jewish inhabitants of Europe would -- without any established Jewish communities or shuls -- not be lenient in their conversions. Let's retract their conversions and remove 40% of Ashkenazim from the Jewish people -- just to be safe.

I cannot understand why these pinheads are so intent on investigating peoples' backgrounds. I'm sure that if all of us looked far enough up our family trees, a monkey would 'crap' in our faces. Seriously, how 'pure' is anyone if people are digging so much?

This is so about the 'sangre pura' nonsense of the Spanish a few hundred years ago. The oppressed has become the oppressor.

Finally, Amar is speaking up -- he was disappointing me for a while there.

[MisterApikoros]

So the debate on who is and who is not a Jew has come down to a petty turf battle. A form of pilpul.

This is how the Haredim will self-destruct and disintegrate.

[Ben]

MA: Amen to your "haredi self destruction wish", but I would not hold my breath. Violent fanatical organiztions like Eliyashiv Sherman Attias gang don't typically go quietly. They will put a very very ugly fight and they can win unless ALL the Jewish people, icluding rabbis, would stand up to them and put them in herem.

[shmuel]

Notice, not a word from Metzger. Elyashiv's puppet?

[Shmarya]

Metzger unconditionally backed Sherman and Elyashiv last week.

[Dave Marshall]

What a relief that Rav Amar finally stepped up to the plate (and did what he should have done ages ago).