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8 Kislev 5763 - November 13, 2002 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Vaad HaRabbonim LeInyonei Giyur
by Betzalel Kahn

The government decided to approve a decision by a team of ministers last week to grant citizenship to parents of soldiers ineligible to receive citizenship under the Law of Return.

The decision followed a long-standing request by Yisrael BaAliyah Chairman Natan Sharansky. A "lone soldier" (in Israel without his parents) who filed a request to bring one of his parents who is not eligible for citizenship according to the Law of Return was told at best he could secure a tourist visa that would expire upon his discharge from the IDF.

Several months ago Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued a directive to set up a team of ministers to solve the problem. Headed by Justice Minister Meir Shetreet, the ministerial team decided "a parent of a lone soldier who is not eligible under the Law of Return, upon the induction of a son or daughter, can automatically begin a phased process to receive citizenship. The process will extend over five years, during which the parent will be a temporary resident for four years, a permanent resident for an additional year and after five years will receive citizenship."

Vaad HaRabbonim LeInyonei Giyur, founded by HaRav Chaim Kreiswirth, zt'l, Gavad of Antwerp, issued a statement saying, "The government's decision will directly lead to assimilation in our Holy Land. It would be impossible, of course, to convert these soldiers who have no genuine intentions of observing Torah and mitzvos. In the vast majority of cases, Israeli-rabbinate assembly-line conversions or conversions sponsored by the army rabbinate are wholly meaningless conversions that are not even valid bedi'eved and further increase assimilation since the masses think these meaningless certificates issued by rabbinical authorities prove they are Jews when the giyur is invalid even bedi'eved."

 

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