Chief Rabbi Overturns Conversion Revocation

The move, touted as a "revolution" against Ashkenazi haredi rabbis, may be far less significant than reported.

Panel upholds canceled conversion
By MATTHEW WAGNER • Jeruusalem Post

In an encouraging sign for converts whose Jewishness has been questioned by the haredi-controlled rabbinic establishment, Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Amar ruled this week that a conversion annulled by a Haifa Rabbinic Court was perfectly kosher.

Amar's ruling was handed down on Tuesday, just in time to allow the convert to wed the woman of his choice in a Jewish ceremony that was slated to take place Wednesday evening in Haifa.

More than 15 years ago, S.V., the groom, was converted as a child along with his mother by a Haifa Rabbinic Court, headed by former chief Sephardi Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron.

However, several months ago, when S.V. attempted to register for marriage at the Haifa Religious Council, he was rejected. The local registrar referred him to the local rabbinical court to verify his conversion.

The Haifa Rabbinic Court ruled that S.V.'s conversion was invalid since he had abandoned an Orthodox lifestyle when he reached bar mitzva age.

S.V. appealed to the Supreme Court against the rabbinical court decision. However, this past Monday the Supreme Court ruled that S.V. had to first exhaust his option of appealing to the Supreme Rabbinic Court before the Supreme Court could get involved.

The next day, S.V. appeared before Amar and two other judges: Rabbi Ezra Bar-Shalom, the son-in-law of Shas mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and Rabbi Zion Buaron.

The panel ruled that S.V. was a full-fledged Jew.

A source close to Amar said that S.V.'s father was a Moroccan Jew, like the chief rabbi, which facilitated dialogue. Amar made aliya from Casablanca in 1962, at age 14.

"They are a traditional family that does its best to keep the mitzvot," said the source.

The judges based their ruling on the Talmudic principle that a minor who is converted by a rabbinic court is considered Jewish when he reaches adulthood as long as he does not protest the conversion.

In S.V.'s case, not only did he not protest the conversion, he even celebrated his bar mitzva and showed the rabbinic court pictures of himself wearing tefillin.

S.V. also said that he and his wife-to-be planned to strengthen their adherence to kashrut, family purity laws and Shabbat.

Amar's ruling came weeks after the chief rabbi took over control of all cases involving conversion that reach the Supreme Rabbinic Court.

The move was aimed at bypassing Rabbi Avraham Sherman, a controversial dayan who has questioned the legitimacy of conversions performed by the Chief Rabbinate.

Rabbi Nahum Eisenstein, who has close ties to Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the preeminent halachic authority of Ashkenazi haredim, said that while he was not familiar with the details of the case, he was concerned that a person who did not lead an Orthodox lifestyle was recognized as Jewish.

"Rabbi Amar committed himself in writing to the position that there can be no conversion without a complete acceptance of Torah and mitzvot," said Eisenstein. "But the facts on the ground seem to show otherwise."

Eisenstein said meetings had taken place over the past month with leading rabbis to discuss what steps could be taken to fight the phenomenon of legitimizing conversions that lack a full commitment to Halacha.

He refused to say which options were being discussed, but he ruled out the option of maintaining a separate haredi list of "who is a Jew."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amar's conversion revolution underway

Chief Rabbi Amar overturns rabbinical court's decision to annul a man's conversion, and declares him to be Jewish on the eve of his wedding

Kobi Nahshoni • Ynet

Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar overturned this week a decision by a regional rabbinical court to annul a conversion, and approved the man's conversion – and Jewishness - on the eve of his wedding.

 

Amar recently announced that from now on he will oversee personally, as president of the Great Rabbinical Court of Appeals, every case related to the validity of a conversion.

 

The chief rabbi's decision came following yet another conversion annulment by Rabbi Avrhama Sherman, and is meant to prevent stringent judges like him from dealing with the subject.

 

In the case in question, Rabbi Amar, along with Rabbis Ezra Bar Shalom and Zion Boaron, heard the case of a couple who have registered to marry with a northern religious council. However, the local rabbis doubted the validity of the conversion process the groom-to-be underwent as a child, and ordered him to secure a permit from the regional rabbinical court.

 

The court's judges ruled that since the man did not lead led a religious lifestyle upon turning 13, his Jewishness cannot be verified. The man then appealed to the High Court of Justice, which referred him to the Rabbinical Court of Appeals.

 

The court, led by Rabbi Amar, ruled that the man was a Jew for all intent and purposes, because he did not protest his conversion when turning 13. "The plaintiff is a Jew according to Halacha… and is allowed to marry in accordance with Jewish law," the judges wrote.

There are a number of reasons that Rabbi Amar's actions in this case are easier for him to take than they would be in other cases:

1. The convert is a male, not a female. Therefore all children born to this convert and his Jewish wife will be Jewish no matter the father's technical status.
2. The convert is Sefardic and was converted by a Sefardic beit din led by a prominent Sefardic rabbi. This means the convert can be easily judged by Sefardic understanding of halakha, which is more lenient on this issues than Ashkenazic understanding of halakha.
3. Halakha is more strongly in favor of considering this convert Jewish than in cases of adult conversion.

There are other older and very public cases of conversion revocations that Rabbi Amar has not, so far, interceded in. Time will tell us whether he does intercede and whether that involvement is as good for converts as the Israeli media thinks it will be.

[Hat Tip: Joel Katz.]

Comments

[Dr. Dave]

It's still a step in the right direction

[Ben]

Yes, it is the first step of a 1000 mile journey. The thuth is that Amar showed no intention in the last 2 years to travel the other 5 million steps of that trip.

The trip must not be postponed till Mashiah comes and resolves all the issures.

Sherman, Eisenstein, Attias and the rest of the cruel erev ravs must be put in cherem. If this is not done, then rabbinate credibility will be damaged forever.

[ah-pee-chorus]

++If this is not done, then rabbinate credibility will be damaged forever++

isn't that like saying bernie madoff's trustworthiness as a fund manager will be damaged forever?

[ah-pee-chorus]

the rabbinate stated that if this man would be willing to hit a parking lot attendant with his car while attempting to avoid paying they would fast-track his conversion so that he may become a rebbe and a dayan.

[Asa]

I'm surprised the court neglected to further prove his invalidity as Jew by pointing out that he continued to wear pants post-conversion.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Asa: This proves that Scotsmen are ancient Israelites, as some have alleged. They don't wear pants.

[Asa]

Also no underwear, which proves that Adam was a Scotsman.

[Ben]

I wait for Amar to act on his now 2 year old promise to cancel Shermann's decree, which put thousands of Rav Drukman's converts and their families in limbo. The very same decree put All the converts and their children on life long probation.

The question that bothers me is Amar forgetful or simply evil, just like Shermann and Elyashiv and Attias and Eisenstein and full list of other criminals hiding behind Rabbinic titles and religious garbs?

[ah-pee-chorus]

YL: how bout a "you say you want a revolution" parody? if that has been done,forgive me.

[Yochanan Lavie]

You say you believe in evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the Jews
You tell me it's a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the Jews
But when you talk about conversion
Don't you know that you can count me in
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right

You say he got a real solution
Well, you know
We'd all love if Amar's "da man"
You ask me for a contribution
Well, you know
We're schnorring all we can
But when you want money
for Yidden with minds that hate
All I can tell is bochur you have to wait
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
Oy

oy, oy, oy, oy, oy...

We say we want a constitution
Well, you know
There's a shoe upon your head
You tell me it's the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Rebbe
You ain't going to make it with anyone and that's heavy
Don't you know it's gonna be all right
all right, all right
all right, all right, all right
all right, all right, nu "all right, already!"

[maven]

YL, when do we get a revolution number 9 parody :)

[Yochanan Lavie]

Why not? I want a revolution in traditional Judaism concerning how converts are treated. So count me in!

[maven]

And while we're on the White Album, I've become inspired by our friend Yochanan:

Have you seen the little frummies
throwing rocks and dirt
yet for all the littlelest frummies
Life is getting worse
Always having dirt to play around in.

Have you seen the bigger frummies
In their starched white shirts
You will find the bigger frummies
Stirring up the dirt
Always have fires in their trash bin.

In the streets with rich American backing
They take care to destroy all that’s around
In their eyes society’s lacking
What Chilonim need's a Satmar thwacking!

With the wives in bondage there's lots more frummies
Living deprived lives
Who can grow up yelling at sinners
And their educated wives
Casting rocks and flamess to destroy their shikun....

Thank you, thank you very much, you've been a great audience.

[ah-pee-chorus]

YL: i love it. and you worked in the shoe. genius.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Thanks APC. Good job, Maven.

[justayid]

"source close to Amar said that S.V.'s father was a Moroccan Jew, like the chief rabbi, which facilitated dialogue. Amar made aliya from Casablanca in 1962, at age 14."

"why isnt the other new ger's conversion being recognized"
"I am shocked, shocked I tell you, to find he does not keep kosher"

"why did you come to yerushaliyim?" "to see the liberal minded haredim" "There ARE no liberal minded haredim in yerushaliyim". "I was misled"

"you must remember this, a bris is still a bris, on that you can rely. The fundamental requirements of conversion still apply, as time goes by"

[justayid]

"of all the shteibels in all the shtetls in the world, she walks into mine"

(pardon the blatant ashkenazi bias)

[justayid]

oh dear, some googling leads me to the conclusion others came up with "a bris is still a bris" before I did.

But am I the only who hears bohemian rhapsody and thinks Queen is singing "BrisMillah" instead of "Bismillah"

[maven]

Freddie Mercury would have been happy to sing of bris milah. Though a parody of Bohemian Rhapsody in this setting might start:

Momma, just starved your son...

[ah-pee-chorus]

good one, maven.

[Dr. Dave]

Freddie would have liked metzitza b'peh

[Yochanan Lavie]

Freddy's real name was Farrokh Bulsara. He was a Parsi, an Indian of Persian descent. I believe they are Zoroastrian, although "bismillah" is Arabic for "In the name of God."

Not that anyone asked.

[maven]

Hey, does anyone know what Freddie Mercury's original name and religion was? :)