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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. (Archives)
Last update - 16:43 25/12/2007
PM Olmert plans to streamline conversion of immigrants
By Barak Ravid and Anshel Pfeffer
Tags: Judaism, Israel 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert plans to adopt the Halfon Committee's recommendations on streamlining the conversion system, with the goal of increasing the number of non-Jewish immigrants converting to Judaism, sources close to him said Monday.

But some officials who favor streamlining the process charged that this is merely a cover for further delay, as Olmert is concerned about angering his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners. Olmert has appointed Cabinet Secretary Oved Yehezkel to handle this issue, and in a letter sent Monday to 14 senior officials involved in the conversion process - including Absorption Ministry Director General Erez Halfon, who headed the interministerial committee that wrote the report; Rabbi Haim Druckman, who heads the government's conversion administration; and Major General Elazar Stern, head of the Israel Defense Forces' Personnel Directorate - Yehezkel wrote that the premier "attaches supreme importance to this issue and wants to improve, streamline and expand Israel's conversion system."

The letter added that Yehezkel will soon convene representatives of all the bodies involved in conversion, including government ministries, the Israel Defense Forces and the Jewish Agency, to formulate a plan of action that will then be presented to Olmert.
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Officials close to Olmert added that the prime minister accepts the Halfon report's program in principle and intends to adopt it, and that the Ministerial Committee on Immigration will meet in the coming days to do so.


But some officials who favor streamlining the conversion process were unenthusiastic about Yehezkel's letter. "Why do we need additional discussions about the issue?" demanded one. "The [Halfon] committee met for five months until it drafted this report; one could simply adopt its conclusions and be done. It's clear that Olmert is trying to buy time because he is afraid of pressure from the ultra-Orthodox."

The official also noted that the Halfon Committee's report was submitted to Olmert more than four months ago - yet since then, nothing has happened.

An estimated 300,000 non-Jews have immigrated to Israel under the Law of Return since 1990, mainly from the former Soviet Union. However, only a handful have converted - and of these, more have converted through an IDF program for non-Jewish soldiers doing their military service than through a special government program set up four years ago.

One of Halfon's main proposals for speeding up the conversion process is to increase the number of dayanim (religious court judges) hearing conversion cases by recruiting some 40 volunteer dayanim. The regular dayanim, who have dealt with conversions until now, have worked "too slowly," explained one official close to Olmert.

In addition, the report recommends that these volunteer dayanim be people who will "come toward" would-be converts on the issue that has proven one of the biggest bottlenecks of the process - the rabbinical courts' insistence that converts adopt a religious lifestyle.

But Shas, the religious Sephardi party that is part of Olmert's coalition, favors upholding the current strict standard, and therefore opposes increasing the number of dayanim.

Nevertheless, the Prime Minister's Office hopes that a solution to this problem can be found - particularly since Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Amar "is interested in and supports" the idea, one official said.

The report also recommends making Amar, who has generally been more lenient on conversion than his Ashkenazi counterpart, responsible for solving any problems of halakha (Jewish law) that arise during the process. However, Amar prefers not to take this responsibility, which would entail a head-on clash with rabbis favoring a more stringent approach.

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      1.   Gross! 03:36  |  Naftali Lavie 25/12/07
      2.   Olmert is a fool. He will not get the loyalties of antisemetic.. 03:54  |  Alan 25/12/07
      3.   He can bend spoons with his mind too. 04:41  |  Gideon Reader 25/12/07
      4.   Conversion 05:48  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 25/12/07
      5.   Outrageous! Converts to a Religion should Observe that Religion?! 06:02  |  Straight Talk 25/12/07
      6.   #1 - I agree 06:21  |  * BEN JABO 25/12/07
      7.   Jews to Germany 06:24  |  Klaus Bloemker 25/12/07
      8.   Send the non Jewish Russians BACK! 06:29  |  Miriam 25/12/07
      9.   to Miriam 07:28  |  Puhi 25/12/07
      10.   A jewish state indeed 07:30  |  Jason 25/12/07
      11.   Nothing will happen ? Remember Olmert is in bed with the ultras 08:05  |  Dan 25/12/07
      12.   Why not convert the Palestinians ? 08:09  |  Yoram 25/12/07
      13.   To Naftali 08:18  |  Moti 25/12/07
      14.   Convert Them, Post Haste! 08:47  |  MIKE 25/12/07
      15.   Sprinkle More Holy Water, Please! 08:51  |  Dean Blake 25/12/07
      16.   #7 Klaus Bloemker you know nothing about Jews and Israel 09:48  |  Conroy 25/12/07
      17.   conversion 11:56  |  Naim S. Mahlab 25/12/07
      18.   Conversion is meaningless without belief and practice 11:59  |  De 25/12/07
      19.   Adding 1 mo OLMERT CLAIM TO FAME... 12:02  |  SPTZ 25/12/07
      20.   The problem of conversion will only worsen 12:20  |  Yonatan 25/12/07
      21.   #4 Rabbi Yakov Lazarus - on Rabbits 12:28  |  Yonatan 25/12/07
      22.   12 Good Idea Yoram - if the Palistinians Converted 12:30  |  S Judah 25/12/07
      23.   #12 Yoram - good question 12:31  |  Yonatan 25/12/07
      24.   Reform and Conservative conversions 12:57  |  Yonatan 25/12/07
      25.   A message to all those commenting from the Diaspora 13:05  |  Tal Baruch 25/12/07
      26.   # 9 Phui 13:18  |  Miriam 25/12/07
      27.   Conversion is blasphemous 13:21  |  Rabbi Izzy Lahm 25/12/07
      28.   if Pals convert, then it is OK? 13:28  |  Disgusted American 25/12/07
      29.   #27 Rabbi Izzy Lahm in extremis 13:51  |  Yonatan 25/12/07
      30.   #28 Disgusted - "if Pals convert, then it is OK?" 13:53  |  Yonatan 25/12/07
      31.   Tal Baruch 13:57  |  K 25/12/07
      32.   Rabbi Izzy Lahm 14:33  |  Cyasher 25/12/07
      33.   We are working to undermine any Jewish image of .. 14:56  |  The State Of Israel 25/12/07
      34.   #17 - Naim 14:59  |  MIKE 25/12/07
      35.   #27 Rabbi Izzy Lahm and pigs 15:10  |  Alicia 25/12/07
      36.   start learning from enemy 15:14  |  moshe 25/12/07
      37.   Rabbi Izzy Lahm 15:26  |  Janet 25/12/07
      38.   Oldmerde`s plans are as relevant as his integrity 15:31  |  Tomer 25/12/07
      39.   Olmert: conversion is a matter of the heart 15:41  |  Alicia 25/12/07
      40.   #4 16:46  |  HonestAbe 25/12/07
      41.   #33 How do you know you are really Jewish? 16:51  |  Yonatan 25/12/07
      42.   Streamline the Jewish? agency first 17:17  |  forge documents 25/12/07
      43.   #18, The Jewish concept of "belief". 17:17  |  HonestAbe 25/12/07
      44.   # 12 Yoram 17:18  |  emad matahin 25/12/07
      45.   How sublimely medieval! How many hours between meat and milk? 17:41  |  Toronto`s Finest 25/12/07
      46.   Conversion to Judaism? 18:03  |  Ros 25/12/07
      47.   9# 18:54  |  Yechiel 25/12/07
      48.   11# 18:58  |  Yechiel 25/12/07
      49.   convert first this one 19:02  |  moshe 25/12/07
      50.   I HAVE THE ANSWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 19:06  |  Yechiel 25/12/07
      51.   re: BEN JABO 20:26  |  Efox 25/12/07
      52.   If someone wants to convert they can but they better mean it 20:28  |  Efox 25/12/07
      53.   re: Klaus Bloemker 20:32  |  Efox 25/12/07
      54.   To #48 Yechiel: Good For You That`s a start 20:37  |  Dan 25/12/07
      55.   re: Yonatan 20:44  |  Efox 25/12/07
      56.   My only concern (on this matter) is sincerity 21:05  |  Shlomo 25/12/07
      57.   Why should anybody convert to anything? 21:21  |  Jozef 25/12/07
      58.   Re: #27 "Conversion is blasphemous" 21:21  |  Shlomo 25/12/07
      59.   RE: Outrageous! Converts to a Religion should Observe that Religi 21:43  |  Evan 25/12/07
      60.   Germany - #16 Conroy, #53 Efox 23:40  |  Klaus Bloemker 25/12/07
      61.   Dan #54: Thankyou Sweety! 23:54  |  Yechiel 25/12/07
      62.   PM Olmert plans to streamline conversion 01:46  |  Rodney Murray 26/12/07
      63.   Postings reflect individual, rather than Jewish, positions 01:51  |  David 26/12/07
      64.   Not conversions, but new reforms needed. 02:50  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      65.   To Yoram. According to Pope Cloudious the Fifth 02:59  |  Yaakov Sullivan 26/12/07
      66.   #54 03:11  |  Yechiel 26/12/07
      67.   "Rabbi" Islam, I mean Izzy Lahm 03:46  |  Ariella 26/12/07
      68.   ultra hortodox are the Israel`s biggest problem 04:11  |  jaime 26/12/07
      69.   Dear Claus 04:15  |  sweis Melbourne 26/12/07
      70.   Jozef 04:19  |  sweis Melbourne 26/12/07