Israelis Defeat Bills to Change Jew Definition
Israel’s Parliament narrowly defeated two bills today that would have given Orthodox rabbis sole authority over conversions to Judaism.
American Jewish leaders had denounced the bills attempting to redefine who is a Jew as discriminatory.
One bill, an amendment to the “Law of Return,” would have denied automatic Israeli citizenship to people converted to Judaism by non-Orthodox rabbis in the United States and other countries.
Under current law, anyone born to a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism is entitled to automatic Israeli citizenship. The type of conversion is not defined. The proposed amendment, sponsored by the National Religious Party, was defeated 62 to 53, with two abstentions.
The second proposal would have given Israel’s chief rabbi, who is Orthodox, the right to rule on the legitimacy of conversions. That bill, proposed by the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, was rejected 60 to 56.
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and his left-of-center Labor Party voted against the bills, while Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir and most members of his right-wing Likud bloc supported it.
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