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7 Adar I 5765 - February 16, 2005 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Prime Minister's Office Doubles Conversion Rate

By Eliezer Rauchberger

The conversion section at the Prime Minister's Office nearly doubled the number of so-called conversions performed in 2004 for immigrants from the former Soviet Union according to the figures presented to the Knesset Immigration and Absorption Committee.

According to the report by Moshe Klein, head of conversion at the Prime Minister's Office, in 2003 there were 919 such conversions, while in 2004 that number rose to 1,730.

Interior Minister Ophir Pines, who participated in the meeting, said he opposes requiring prospective converts to commit to keeping mitzvas and called for this regulation to be revamped. "I do not agree that an individual undergoing conversion must become religious," he said. "This practice can and should be reexamined."

MK Rabbi Avrohom Ravitz raised strong objections, saying MK Pines should not interfere or express his opinions on matters of conversion. "First of all Pines should get to know his ministry well. There are many flaws there in the local authorities and the religious councils. First he should see to it that the municipalities pay their share to the religious councils and work on properly administering his ministry. I suggest he not handle religious matters because one must learn many years before offering an opinion on how to join Judaism. If he thinks that joining Judaism is like joining a club in Raanana, that is a mistake. Even in that case there are clear criteria. There nobody would dictate how to decide on the important procedure of joining Judaism. For this we have rabbis and halacha. Joining Judaism must only be according to halacha."

 

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