The Vaad HaRabbonim Haolami LeInyonei Giyur founded by HaRav
Chaim Kreiswirth zt"l, is warning against further
decline in the conversion system in Eretz Yisroel after the
mainstream media broadcast disturbing figures regarding the
fictitious conversion industry under IDF auspices.
According to the new statistics, the army is currently
performing 650 conversions annually, which amounts to ten
times the number done in previous years. The conversions are
done in cooperation with Netiv which is run by the Jewish
Agency, and the study program is operated by the Joint
Institute for Jewish Studies, which is run together with the
Reform and Conservative movements. The entire conversion
process is done in the army rather than in a religious
setting, and takes only a few months.
One young woman who converted in the army had said before her
conversion that the "rabbis" demanded a lot of her and she
was unsure whether she will be able to meet the requirements,
but she was converted without any problem.
According to Vaad HaRabbonim, an investigative report
broadcast by the television news, apparently at the
invitation of the institutions involved in the process, is
indicative of efforts to market and advertise the possibility
of accelerated, nonbinding conversions during army service in
order to meet the army's goal of thousands of conversions
annually, thereby taking over the role of the Conversion
Authority.
Dayanim are highly critical of conversions performed by the
current conversion system and the special conversion courts.
Most of the staff involved are affiliated with the National-
Religious camp, and feel that it is the responsibility of the
State to actively convert the hundreds of thousands of non-
Jews who came to Eretz Yisroel during the past 20 years. They
believe the demographic problem can be solved through
accelerated conversions, even though at least 90 percent of
the so-called converts never have any intention of becoming
fully observant, which renders the conversion invalid under
all opinions. One observer commented, wryly, that by the same
logic they could just convert all the Arabs and solve the
conflict with the Palestinians and maybe all the problems of
the Middle East.
Vaad HaRabbonim holds the Sephardic Chief Rabbinate largely
responsible for backing the IDF conversions and issuing a
conversion certificate as well as other documents that allow
them to later marry at the Rabbinate, thereby bringing non-
Jews into Kerem Beis Yisroel. The Vaad says that the
Rabbinate must stop recognizing these conversions in order to
put a halt to army conversions. The Vaad HaRabbonim says the
IDF, which is overwhelmingly secular, is no place to set up a
conversion program, which should remain solely in the hands
of fixed, reputable botei din.
Letters currently being sent out to the rabbonim of major
cities include a reminder to all marriage registrars that
they have a legal and halachic right to reject conversions in
cases where is appears that the convert did not sincerely
take on Torah and mitzvas. These cases can be referred back
to the regional beis din or the Chief Rabbinate's
office.
