Conservatives told overseas conversion will stay 'open'

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert promised a visiting delegation of Conservative rabbis from the United States that Israel would maintain a "policy of openness" on the issue of conversions to Judaism overseas. Olmert met the rabbis on Sunday.

At the meeting, Rabbi Jerome Epstein, Executive Vice President of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, told Olmert of the Conservative movement's objection to Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Amar's initiative not to recognize Diaspora conversions in Israel.

Olmert said that Amar's initiative had not been discussed in the cabinet and that he was committed to maintaining the present open policy on conversion.

Epstein, who reported to his colleagues in New York about his conversation with Olmert, said on Monday that the prime minister's message was clear - Olmert supports the Conservative rabbis' position on conversions.

Epstein said the prime minister also promised that if a new committee were to be formed on conversion, like the Neeman committee in the past, Conservative movement members can expect to play a role in it.