May 18, 2009 (Section 1) (continues in Section 2)
Editor – Joel Katz
Religion and State in Israel is not affiliated with any organization or movement.
High Court rules state must fund Reform conversion institutions
www.jpost.com May 19, 2009
In addition, the court ruled that the government must retroactively fund the Reform institutions for the past three years.
Justices Dorit Beinisch - the president of the Supreme Court - Miriam Naor and Edna Arbel accepted an appeal by the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism, agreeing that all streams of Judaism that are involved in preparing converts should be supported by the state.
The ruling accepted the claim that the criteria for the receipt of funding unlawfully discriminates against non-Orthodox institutions.
Beinisch said that if the government decided to keep funding the private conversion institutions it should instate a mechanism that will allow all streams to receive equal funding.
Supreme Court Orders Equal Funding for Reform “Conversions”
By Hillel Fendel www.israelnationalnews.com May 19, 2009
This is, on the face of it, a not-pertinent consideration for the purposes of granting support. Beyond this, by doing this, the State gives an advantage to one religious conception over another, causing harm that has no place in the ‘free market’ that should be maintained for various religious conceptions.”
The judges write that the State has no obligation to support conversion institutes, but that if it chooses to do so, “the principle of pluralism requires that it support the institutes of other streams of Judaism as well.”
The judges elaborate on their view of the State’s obligation to the principle of pluralism: “The State’s obligation to pluralism is not merely a passive one. It has an active aspect to it as well, obligating the State, wherever it decides to support one stream, to support the other as well.”
Court: Justify conversion annulments
By Dan Izenberg www.jpost.com May 19, 2009
The court also asked the attorney-general for his opinion on whether the rabbinical courts were empowered to revoke the decisions of the NationalConversion Authority, headed until recently by Druckman.
Court: Justify conversion annulments made by Rabbi Haim Druckman
www.jpost.com May 19, 2009 IBA TV
Rabbinical Court ordered to explain conversion annulments
By Aviad Glickman www.ynetnews.com May 19, 2009
"This is a very simple case," said Attorney Susan Weiss of the Center for Women's Justice, who represented the women. "Once there is a certificate of conversion, it cannot be questioned. I hope the court debates this on a broader scale and that justice will be served."
The Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah group – a religious-Zionist movement – welcomed the ruling as well and urged Justice Minister Yaakov Ne'eman and the chief rabbis to demand the resignation of the religious judges involved in the case.
High Court praised for helping to stop Beit Din's 'inquisition' of converts to Judaism
By Ruth Eglash www.jpost.com May 19, 2009
Women's groups and those working with converts welcomed the ground-breaking decision of the country's secular High Court of Justice Monday, which called on the Beth Din (Rabbinic Court) to justify its annulment of several Jewish conversions made by the government-appointed National Conversion Authority, headed by Rabbi Haim Druckman.
"This is a very positive and important step to stop the ongoing inquisition by the Beth Din of converts to Judaism,"
said attorney Susan Weiss, founder and executive director of the Center for Women's Justice, which brought together some 15 organizations and individuals in a High Court petition questioning the authority of the Rabbinic Courts to cancel conversions.
"[The behavior of the Beth Din] means that converts are never quite sure if their status as a Jew is final," she said.
By Matthew Wagner www.jpost.com May 19, 2009
On one side are rabbis, products of the world's best yeshivot and institutes of Talmudic studies, informed by an ancient Jewish tradition set down in the Talmud and the vast rabbinical literature that spans centuries.
On the other side are judges, among the brightest scholars of Western jurisprudence, who are influenced by liberal, humanistic and decidedly secular modern thought.
In the middle are thousands of converts, most of whom are immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
Long-standing problems in rabbinical establishment surface over conversions
By Dan Izenberg www.jpost.com May 18, 2009
The cases of the two women whose conversions by the National Conversion Authority were revoked by the Higher Rabbinical Court have brought to public attention a severe dispute between two government institutions allegedly having the same authority to convert non-Jews.
In truth, the problem has been festering for several years, but was hushed up until now by the Orthodox establishment.
Internet-trained conversion hopefuls less likely to pass
By Matthew Wagner www.jpost.com May 19, 2009
Rabbinic Conversion Court judges are more likely to reject prospective converts who were partially trained via the Internet, a senior source in the Conversion Authority said Sunday.
According to the source, about 70% of prospective converts who are interviewed by the conversion court are accepted. However, among prospective converts who were trained in part via the Internet, only about half are accepted, said the source.
The use of the Internet is one example of tension between the joint institute - whose teachers include members of the Orthodox, Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism - and the Orthodox conversion courts that set the acceptance standards.
Bill to expand rabbinical court powers meets with varied critics
By Yair Ettinger www.haaretz.com May 19, 2009
A bill that would expand the authority of rabbinical courts to civilian matters was criticized yesterday by lawmakers, women's rights groups and several religious organizations, following Haaretz's expose of Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman's support of the initiative.
ICAR, a coalition of organizations promoting the rights of women bound in marriage by husbands refusing to grant a divorce, will stage a protest tomorrow opposite Neeman's home.
The bill "would bolster the extortive power of the husband and deal a hard blow to women refused a get," said Robyn Shames, the coalition's director, referring to the Jewish halakhic term for a bill of divorce.
Rabbi Gilad Kariv, of the Reform Movement's Israel Religious Action Center, said the bill is tantamount to "granting a prize to a failed justice system," and that "it would be fitting for the justice minister to invest his energy in finding a solution to the struggle of those prevented from remarrying, as the government has committed to doing."
The Conservative Movement also called on Neeman to retract his support for the initiative.
"The step will bring tremendous damage to Israeli society in general, and the female population in particular," Rabbi Diana Villa of the Conservative Movement said.
Batia Kahane-Dror of the women's organization Mavoi Satum sent an open letter to Neeman reminding him of his past condemnation of expanded rabbinical court authority.
"Now that you are on the other side, will your conscience allow you to give them additional powers?" she wrote.
Justice Minister pushes bill to extend rabbinical courts' authority
By Yair Ettinger www.haaretz.com May 19, 2009
Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman is moving forward with a government bill that would significantly expand the rabbinical courts' authority.
Under the bill, the rabbinical courts would have sole authority to hear any suit stemming from divorce agreements signed in a rabbinical court, including both financial and custody disputes. Currently, suits stemming from a divorce agreement must be filed in civil court, so the bill would essentially transfer this power from the civil to the rabbinical courts.
The Justice Ministry is also considering giving rabbinical courts sole authority to hear suits against husbands who refuse to grant their wives a divorce, thus depriving these women of their current right to file such suits in civil court.
Neeman bids to empower rabbinic courts
www.jpost.com May 18, 2009
Knesset Law Committee chairman David Rotem on Monday blasted Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman's proposal to let rabbinic courts rule on matters relating to money and children in divorce cases.
Rotem called the suggestion a violation of the status quo and said it would harm an entire sector of women and children.
Rotem told Israel Radio he would tell Neeman that his plan was contrary to coalition agreements, which stipulated that the status quo on matters of religion and state would be preserved.
AG orders probe of rabbis who divorced mentally disabled woman
By Tomer Zarchin www.haaretz.com May 13, 2009
Attorney General Menachem Mazuz has ordered a rare criminal investigation of four rabbinical court judges suspected of giving a divorce to a mentally disabled woman without her knowledge or consent.
All four dayanim continue to serve on the Tel Aviv Rabbinical Court, where they handle thousands of divorce cases every year. The four - Dov Domb, Avidan Yitzhak Halevy, Yitzhak Almaliah and Zvi Ben Yaakov - are all senior members of the court.
Time to rebel against Rabbinate
By Prof. Dror Ze'evi www.ynetnews.com Opinion May 13, 2009
Dror Ze'evi, Department for Middle Eastern Studies, Ben-Gurion University
Anyone who has the wellbeing of the State and its citizens in mind must rebel against the Rabbinate and refuse to conduct his or her family affairs via its registrar until it recognizes the right of every citizen in the country to marry any way he or she see fit – in an Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Buddhist, or wholly secular ceremony.
Only then, once the religious establishment realizes it may lose its control over the entire system managing our personal lives, including the people who are interested in the Rabbinate’s blessing, things would change.
Let’s deviate this time from our obedient manner and rebel. We are not talking about a violet move, but rather, about a peaceful rebellion: We shall not cooperate and won’t approach the Rabbinate until the situation changes.
Interior Ministry refuses to recognize marriage of Nigerian converts
By Dana Weiler-Polak www.haaretz.com May 18, 2009
A Nigerian couple that wed under rabbinate supervision in Israel last year is continuing to push for official recognition after being told by the Interior Ministry that the wife underwent a private conversion to Judaism that cannot be recognized.
"I stood there, with a marriage certificate in my hand, and they told me that the certificate is worth nothing and that neither is our marriage," Daniel said.
So what if the rabbi said you can marry?
By Rivkah Lubitch www.ynetnews.com May 17, 2009
Rivkah Lubitch is a rabbinical advocate, working at The Center for Women’s Justice
Translated by Susan Weiss
The widow of an IDF soldier who was killed in battle received permission from the IDF chief rabbi to remarry. But when her daughter sought a wedding permit, the register questioned the permit and hinted she was a mamzer.
Messianic Jews petition High Court to immigrate under Law of Return
By Cnaan Liphshiz www.haaretz.com May 15, 2009
In their petition, submitted by attorney Michael Decker, they claim this makes them eligible to immigrate to Israel (or make aliyah) according to the Law of Return - regardless of their current religious denomination. Barring them from realizing this right, they say, is illegal and discriminatory.
Christopher and the Ayres couple maintain that since their grandparents were Jewish and seeing as they themselves had never been part of the Jewish religion in the first place, they cannot be seen as having changed their religion and are therefore eligible to make aliyah.
Haredim clash with Messianic Jews in Rehovot
By Matan Melekh www.ynetnews.com May 15, 2009
Ultra-Orthodox residents spot Messianic Jews handing out New Testament pamphlets on streets of central city, violent fight breaks out, and secular passersby join in clashes.
High Court Rejects Reform Petition to Halt Mehadrin Service
By Yechiel Spira www.theyeshivaworld.com May 18, 2009
The High Court of Justice has rejected a petition submitted from the Reform Movement seeking to block mehadrin bus service.
The petition sited that despite a court ruling on the matter, new mehadrin lines were established, the 284 from Elad to Nachal Sorek and the 251 from Elad to Ashdod. The Reform Movement called on the court to dissolve the lines and to take action against the Ministry of Transportation for contempt of court, acting contrary to the court’s ruling.
By Rabbi Seth Farber www.jpost.com May 12, 2009
The writer is the director of ITIM: The Jewish Life Information Center www.itim.org.il and rabbi of Kehillat Netivot in Ra'anana.
State Comptroller's Report for 2009
According to the report, hundreds of burial societies are unlicensed, there is no strategic plan for the lack of proper burial facilities (and the Gush Dan region will have no more space to bury beginning in a few months), there is no governmental oversight on burial practices and price gouging for a service that National Insurance is supposed to subsidize 100% is common and generally goes unchecked.
It appears from the report that, simply said, you are better off not dying here.
Secular and religious under the same roof
By Yisrael Moshkovitz www.ynetnews.com May 17, 2009
A neighborhood intended for both secular and religious residents will be built in northern Israel, between religious Kibbutz Shluchot and secular Kibbutz Reshafim in the Emek Hama'ayanot region near Beit Shean.
"In recent years we've encountered dozens of mixed families in which one of the spouses is secular and the other is religious," said Yoram Krin, head of the Emek Hama'ayanot Regional Council.
"These families were looking for a solution in the form of a mixed community, but such communities are not easily found in Israel," he added.
By Ron Friedman www.jpost.com May 14, 2009
But religious life in Tel Aviv is not restricted to upholding the city's rich Jewish history. Today, Tel Aviv is bustling with religious and spiritual activity.
From the 600-strong Hassidei Gur Yeshiva in the north to the large Progressive educational center in Jaffa, people from all across the religious spectrum are finding ways to incorporate Judaism into their lives.
One of the most successful endeavors of the past 20 years is the establishment of the Reform movement in the city.
…Another stream of Judaism that for years has been nearly invisible in the city is about to raise its profile with a new building scheduled to break ground in a week. Currently operating out of a small building on Rehov Bograshov, Conservative rabbi Roberto Arbib has big plans for the future.
…Part of what's going on in Tel Aviv is the reclaiming of the Jewish bookshelf by secular Israelis. Situated in what was once an old medical clinic in one of the worst neighborhoods in the city, an organization called Bina (wisdom) founded what has to be the world's first secular yeshiva.
…Bina is not alone in this effort. Across the city, secular Israelis, who for most of their lives felt alienated from the religion for a variety of reasons, are coming together to study the Jewish sources.
In places like Alma, an adult education facility in North Tel Aviv, people draw inspiration from religious texts and channel it toward artistic endeavors.
At Beit Tefilla Yisraeli, secular young people try to fuse their Israeli identity with a Jewish identity. In coffee shops and private homes small groups of people gather to study, gleaning current meaning from the ancient texts.
New program to train Orthodox women as non-rabbis
By Ben Harris www.jta.org May 18, 2009
Rabbi Avi Weiss announced last week he was creating Yeshivat Maharat, "an Orthodox Yeshiva of Higher Learning ... [to] train women to become Orthodox Spiritual Leaders – full members of the Rabbinic Clergy – in Synagogues, Schools, and on University Campuses."
The products of said yeshiva won't be rabbis, though, they'll be Maharats.
More Info on Yeshivat Mahara”t
By Rebecca Honig Friedman http://jewess.canonist.com May 19, 2009
Yeshivat Mahara”t is being founded by Hurwitz and Rabbi Avi Weiss, and will be housed at Weiss’ synagogue, The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, but the program is an independent entity, officially unrelated to the synagogue or to Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, Weiss’ rabbinic yeshiva for men.
Careful not to step on anyone else’s toes, Hurwitz has been speaking to the Drisha Institute and Stern College for Women about her plans for the yeshiva, and stressed that her goal is not to steal students away from these other learning programs for women.
Rather, Yeshivat Mahara”t is filling a role that other programs for Orthodox women do not — training students to be working clergywomen, rather than learning for its own sake.
May 18, 2009 (Section 1) (continues in Section 2)
Editor – Joel Katz
Religion and State in Israel is not affiliated with any organization or movement.
