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Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar (Tomer Appelbaum / BauBau) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 16:47 17/10/2007 Chief Rabbi Amar to demand stricter conversions during U.S. visit By Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz Correspondent Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar is expected to demand stricter criteria for conversions to Judaism, during a visit to the United States this week. Amar is visiting the U.S. in order to approve the appointment of religious court judges (dayanim) to the conversion courts of the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA). The agreement reached between the RCA and Amar gives the Israeli Chief Rabbinate practical control over the conversion process in U.S. It will also create new problems for those wishing to convert to Judaism there, similar to the kind that exists today in Israel. Advertisement For years, the religious councils in Israel accepted conversions performed by rabbis of the RCA, the largest body of Orthodox rabbis in North America. But in recent years, marriage registrars in local religious councils here have refused to recognize conversions by the RCA, and refused to allow those converted to marry in Israel. This new policy was dictated by Amar, who also provided the councils with a limited list of American rabbis who were the only ones authorized to conduct acceptable conversions. Amar is actually considered to be more lenient in conversion matters in Israel, but he is under strong pressure from ultra-Orthodox rabbis who want to severly restrict the number of conversions, and who are demanding that all converts keep a strict Orthodox lifestyle. The ultra-Orthodox rabbis object to the RCA in the U.S., which is identified more with the Modern Orthodox community, and have even set up a rival organization, Netzah Mishpahat Yisrael, to provide stricter conversions. The new group is trying to achieve full control of the conversion process in both the U.S. and Israel. As a result, Amar gave the RCA a list of demands in order for their conversions to be recognized in Israel. Among other things, Amar demanded to end the common method of conversion in the U.S. whereby local rabbis were allowed to do conversions in their cities. Instead, Amar is demanding that only special conversion courts undertake conversions, and that he approve the members of these courts. These demands were a source of controversy within the RCA, and a number of members even threatened to secede from the council and set up a separate organization. However, in the end they gave in and agreed to Amar's demands, since a lack of recognition of RCA conversions by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate would seriously harm the RCA's standing and cause potential converts to go elsewhere. The new conversion courts will potentially force converts in the U.S. to travel long distances in order to be converted by an approved conversion court, which will demand that candidates keep a strict Orthodox way of life, without knowing them or their personal history. "The rabbi went to meet the religious judges and check the courts," Amar's office said. "They were not promised anything, and they did not promise us anything. In the meantime, the Rabbinate is continuing to recognize conversions by the rabbis it recognized in the past." Rabbi Basil Herring, the executive vice president of the RCA, said in response: "We are pleased to host Rabbi Amar on his visit to New York and Chicago. We are discussing a number of important matters with him, including the issue of conversion." More Jewish World news and features Bookmark to del.icio.us A Palestinian gesture The top PA diplomat in Poland joined his Israeli counterpart on a visit to Auschwitz. Link to Temple found A controversial Temple Mount dig unearthed fragments from the First Temple.   1.   Teabags and Blechs Shall Set the Standard 16:17  |  Yaakov Sullivan 17/10/07   2.   Converts 16:49  |  Jonathan Michel 17/10/07   3.   Jonathan Michel, the answer to your question is... 17:02  |  Yaakov Sullivan 17/10/07   4.   This will end with no more converts, thus Jews marrying their 17:14  |  Sara 17/10/07   5.   All Torah Jews Have a right / obligation to set up courts 17:25  |  Rabbi Yisrael 17/10/07   6.   Stop the Madness 17:31  |  Danite 17/10/07   7.   To Sara 17:31  |  Rabbi Yisrael 17/10/07   8.   Jonathan 17:34  |  Danite 17/10/07   9.   News for Da`vid Ha`melech and Ruth 17:35  |  Jordan 17/10/07   10.   Ruth and geruth 17:40  |  akiva 17/10/07   11.   Not Chief Rabbi Amar, 18:02  |  David 17/10/07   12.   Explains assimilation rates 18:25  |  Ian Jos 17/10/07   13.   Conversions 18:26  |  Jonathan Ben-Avraham 17/10/07   14.   What`s wrong with setting standards? 18:46  |  Mike 17/10/07   15.   WE DON`T NEED CHIEF RABBI 18:46  |  B`Galil 17/10/07   16.   Jewish pope?! 18:46  |  cor 17/10/07   17.   I HOPE YOU`RE JOKING YAKOV 18:50  |  B`Galil 17/10/07   18.   Is Amar Nasrallah or Humeine? 19:37  |  Yonatan 17/10/07   19.   Deserve Respect 19:46  |  Rivka 17/10/07   20.   Isn`t this the same guy... 19:54  |  Susan 17/10/07   21.   so now we have a pope? 19:54  |  fredje 17/10/07   22.   Syrian Jews 19:55  |  Josh 17/10/07   23.   WHERE ARE THE HUMANITARIAN RABBIS? 20:18  |  Kooky Dennt 17/10/07   24.   #8,10,14 and more 20:23  |  60 17/10/07   25.   Does anyone wonder 20:55  |  Steve 17/10/07   26.   North American Jewry responsible for itself 21:06  |  topanga 17/10/07   27.   #1 Turncoat Sullivan - Tailored for the like of YOU 21:36  |  * BEN JABO 17/10/07   28.   #8 Ian Jos - Toronto 21:51  |  * BEN JABO 17/10/07   29.   He is joking 22:03  |  Nechama 17/10/07   30.   Centralized courts 22:13  |  Ken 17/10/07   31.   Conversions 22:13  |  Larry 17/10/07   32.   exploiting"Who is a Jew" is cause 22:22  |  douglas cohen 17/10/07   33.   Rabbis`obscurantism 22:48  |  MB 17/10/07   34.   #13 B`Galil 23:24  |  * BEN JABO 17/10/07   35.   the absurdity of the Orthodox position 23:33  |  Ben Abuya 17/10/07   36.   #60 23:34  |  Rivka 17/10/07   37.   #30 Ben Rabo ????????? 00:30  |  B`Galil 18/10/07   38.   #30 - Sorry - I got it now! A bit slow tonight....:-) 00:31  |  B`Galil 18/10/07   39.   Josh 00:31  |  danite 18/10/07   40.   Most american jews are ashkenazim 01:44  |  Frederique 18/10/07   41.   Converts are usually 02:11  |  Theo 18/10/07   42.   He`s trying to achieve 02:39  |  Rivka 18/10/07   43.   #41 Theo - what you say is usually true 15:18  |  * BEN JABO 18/10/07   44.   American Cheif Rabbi ? 15:25  |  Josh 18/10/07   45.   #44 Josh - "Our Community" 18:07  |  * BEN JABO 18/10/07   46.   NO! 09:26  |  Mike 19/10/07   47.   For the sake of my children 17:13  |  Ronda K Miller 19/10/07   48.   #28 *BEN JABO 18:39  |  Ian Jos 19/10/07   49.   #48 Ian Jos 22:23  |  *BEN JABO 19/10/07

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