"…Guided by rabbis of the mainstream of the tolerant religious Zionist community, Giyur Kehalacha meets potential candidates where they are. The process is completely transparent, candidates know where they can turn, know what's expected of them, and there is an expectation that candidates will be completely truthful. Mothers who are not Jewish but who want to bring their children up in Israel as Jews are not forced to convert with their children and…children are not required to go to religious schools. This makes the potential pool of converts much larger than before.…"
Above: Rabbi Seth Farber
Modern Orthodox Rabbi Seth Farber, the director of ITIM, a nonprofit that helps secular Israelis navigate Israel’s byzantine state haredi-controlled religious services bureaucracy, is one of the founders of the new moderate Zionist Orthodox/Modern Orthodox independent conversion courts, Giyur Kehalacha (Gi'ur K'Halakha). Writing in Ynet, Farber explains what makes Giyur Kehalacha different from the haredi-controlled state rabbinical conversion court system:
…What makes "Giyur Kehalacha" different? At the risk of oversimplification, let me note three issues:
1. The halachic approach: Guided by rabbis of The mainstream of the tolerant religious Zionist community, Giyur Kehalacha meets potential candidates where they are. The process is completely transparent, candidates know where they can turn, know what's expected of them, and there is an expectation that candidates will be completely truthful. Mothers who are not Jewish but who want to bring their children up in Israel as Jews are not forced to convert with their children and whole encouraged, children are not required to go to religious schools. This makes the potential pool of converts much larger than before.
2. The rabbis performing conversions are not political appointees (and as of now, they are not salaried). These rabbis are engaged in conversion out of a sense of loyalty to the future of the Jewish people in Israel. Now, to be sure, there are some serving judges in the national system who also are committed to these values, but they are in many instances subject to the decisions of the centralized rabbis. Giyur Kehalacha embodies the precept of the great code of Jewish law, the Shulchan Aruch, adopting the principle that conversion can only be done "based on the impressions of the individual judge."
3. Giyur Kehalacha has a broad view and a long view of Jewish tradition. It understands that given the unique and miraculous circumstances that have brought hundreds of thousands of Jews to Israel who are not halachically Jewish, something must be done. The conversion crisis is less crisis and more opportunity for Halacha to show its beauty and dynamism.…