Chief Rabbi Amar's Move To Block Conversion Nullifications Seen Sparking War Between Amar And Ashkenazi Haredim

This is a bold move on the part of the chief rabbi, who may pay a high public price over opposition from Ashkenazi haredi rabbis.

Chief rabbi: Judges won't deliberate nullifying conversions
Rabbi's upheaval against overturning conversions takes shape. Ynet learns that Rabbi Amar signed new measures stipulating that every religious court must transfer cases on reversing conversions to him
Kobi Nahshoni • Ynet

Chief Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Amar signed over the weekend new measures stipulating that rabbinical courts will no longer deliberate misgivings regarding the validity of conversions, and instead will transfer such files to a special panel chosen by the rabbi himself, Ynet learned.

As part of his role as chief rabbi, Rabbi Amar serves as president of the Great Rabbinical Court and as the supreme rabbinical authority on the State conversion layout.

The new measures are the fruit of a joint initiative between the rabbi and the Justice Ministry in preparation for the High Court hearing on the petition against rabbinical judge Avraham Sherman's conversion nullifications.

Rabbi Amar handed down a similar order six months ago after Sherman nullified another conversion. The chief rabbi ruled then that a special panel would discuss such cases that reach the Great Rabbinical Court as appeals. Now, the measure was expanded to include all legal claims of this sort, including those reaching the regional rabbinical courts. This effectively blocks any option for overturning conversion without consulting the chief rabbi.

It is interesting to note that a rabbinical judge from Ashdod Rabbinical Court was the first to call into question conversions granted by Rabbi Chaim Drukman, which subsequently ignited controversy on the issue.

Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, who seeks to put an end to the phenomenon of conversion nullifications, is facing significant opposition from within his own court. Significant pressure is being placed on Amar both from within the haredi department of the courts and outside of it.

Rabbinical judge Sherman and his party, those who abide by the stringent Lithuanian halachic line, was recently joined by the legal advisor to the rabbinical courts, Attorney Rabbi Shimon Yaakobi, who ruled in his legal opinion on the subject that every religious judge has the authority to rule on the validity of a conversion.

Yaakobi demanded that the State adopt his position as the High Court's response to the conversion issue. Estimates indicate that Amar intends to render Yaakobi's drafted legal decision empty of content via the new measures he signed into force over the weekend rather than take him on directly.

This is a bold move on the part of the chief rabbi, who may pay a high public price in exchange with the Ashkenazi rabbinical leadership.

Dr. Aviad Hacohen, dean of Sha'arei Mishpat College who is representing the petitioners against the conversion nullifications, said in response: "This is an important and welcome initial step, and we hope it has a continuation. Indeed, as always, the test will be in the results: preventing illegal or unnecessary wholesale cancellation of conversions, and no less, the recognition of conversions carried out by law at the time of marriage registration."

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Comments

[R]

Good for him, but will this really work?
It seems it will only lengthen the process and Rabbis who have a bit of power seem to have it go to their heads and they then feel they can ignore those who don't agree with them.
Soon the Ashkenazim will have their own beth dins and chief rabbis and will be told to ignore the sefardi rabbis.
Then there will be sefardi conversions and ashkenazi conversions and it'll be like reform and orthodox. One will not trust the other.
Why can't they just debunk the annoying abusive rabbis and be done with?

[Jakes]

So what happens if Metzger and the Ashkenazim don't agree? There are after all two chief rabbis...

I want to know when Amar thinks it is appropriate to annul conversions, since he's not completely removing this privilege from the Rabbinate.

Finally, isn't he concerned he'll get a massive inflow of cases because rabbis will just forward all cases involving converts to him?

[NMD]

Too little, too late.

Conversion is now a business, like Kashrus, with some groups nullifying other groups, etc.

Sincere converts and their kids will pay the price for generations.

This is what EJF has started and this is what will tear the klal apart.

What happened in the UK courts recently re 'who is a Jews' is only a taste of what is to come.

Mark my words, families will be torn apart over this- one Rav says, yes, another no, one yeshiva supports Rav A, another supports Rav B and so on.

All the while, money will be raised, money will change hands and the community will slowly erode. We have past the point of no return.

[JLan]

"So what happens if Metzger and the Ashkenazim don't agree? There are after all two chief rabbis..."

Metzger has no power over conversions; R' Amar has authority over divorces and conversions. This was actually a special change a few years ago: usually the 2 chief rabbis switch after 5 years as to who covers what (the other portfolio is, I believe, marriage and kashrut), but since R' Metzger has no experience as a dayan, special legislation was passed to give R' Amar that portfolio for all 10 years of their term.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

it's not even a matter of legalities.
annuling a conversion, is oppressing the convert and is against jewisg law.
annulment

[Jakes]

Thanks, JLan. Hopefully at the end of Amar's term this issue will have blown over and the next chief rabbi won't be trying to change the system.

[Ben]

Amar's answer to every issue is to concentrate more and more power in the hands of the Rabbinate. Amar is not going to rule forever. So what is going to happen to all that power when a litvak will take hold of it (and this is going to happen within next 5 years).

Amar's actions don't provide solutions today and spell disaster for tomorrow. He is one and the same as the other evil ones. He waited for 2 years for his current move and that he is only doing to prepare for the secular supreme court review. He made more damage to the status of converts in the US then any extremist rabbi was able to do so far.

Sorry, but I can not trust Amar either.