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Tag: conversion

The choice to convert

The choice to convert

Adam is one of the potential converts interviewed in the documentary Converts: The Journey of Becoming Jewish, directed by Rebecca Shore and Oren Rosenfeld, which is part of this year’s Vancouver Jewish Film Festival. (photo from convertsmovie.com)

A religion that encourages questions, one in which people can speak directly with God. A religion that’s thousands of years old, which so many have attempted to wipe out, yet still flourishes. A religion that’s intellectual and communal, which involves both the head and the heart.

photo - Dana
Danya (photo from convertsmovie.com)

These are just some of the aspects of Judaism highlighted in Converts: The Journey of Becoming Jewish, directed by Rebecca Shore and Oren Rosenfeld. The 70-minute documentary is part of this year’s Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, which runs April 4-14 in theatres and April 15-19 online.

Converts follows Adam, Danya and Bianka as they go through the conversion process. Each have their own reasons for wanting to become Jewish.

Adam, a student at York University when we meet him, grew up in a violence-filled neighbourhood in Toronto. His father used the family’s savings – that could have gone into moving the family elsewhere – to establish a church, which failed. Adam was attracted to Judaism because, unlike the Christianity he grew up with, Judaism gave him the space to ask questions and to speak with God directly, though giving up belief in Jesus was hard, he admits.

Danya, a businesswoman from Costa Rica, found out in high school that she has Spanish-Portuguese Jewish roots, that her ancestors were forced to convert to Catholicism from Judaism centuries ago. She feels that ancestral pull and uproots her life, traveling to Israel with her daughter in the hope of converting and living there.

photo - Bianka
Bianka (photo from convertsmovie.com)

Bianka, a PhD student in chemistry at the University of Warsaw, lives in Radom, Poland. She immerses herself in a few other religions before finding comfort in what she considers Judaism’s scientific approach, but also in the warmth of the Jewish community, which she discovers by attending synagogue and holiday events.

Well-constructed and well-paced, Converts is a fascinating look at identity, family, community, religion, the search for meaning and the possibilities of change and self-actualization.

For tickets to the film festival, visit vjff.org.

Format ImagePosted on February 23, 2024February 22, 2024Author Cynthia RamsayCategories TV & FilmTags Canada, conversion, documentaries, Israel, Judaism, Poland
From poems to songs

From poems to songs

Loolwa Khazzoom (photo by Moriel O’Connor)

“Dear Hostages, as the world rallies to celebrate your desecration I will not forsake you,” begins the poem written by Seattle-based multimedia artist and educator Loolwa Khazzoom. Posted on her Facebook page, with a #BringThemHomeNow poster featuring photos of Israelis kidnapped on Oct. 7, it continues, “My instinct is to deprive myself of oxygen / Because you are underground / And I will not forget you // But I know that you would dance / In the sun / If given the chance / So I now rise up / And dance for you.”

Many of Khazzoom’s songs begin as poems. In this case, she told the Independent, “I felt as if I could not breathe and as if I did not even want to breathe, out of solidarity with the hostages and with all of Israel, in particular, all the victims of the Oct. 7 massacre. It’s like I wanted to physically feel their pain and suffering, as a way of physically demonstrating that I would not forsake them or forget them.”

In a traumatized mental state, Khazzoom returned to the “healing tools of poetry and music,” which was another way she could show her solidarity and do her part in keeping the issue of the hostages in front of people.

Similarly, Khazzoom and her band, Iraqis in Pajamas, recently released another poem-turned-song, “#MahsaAmini.” They did so this past Sept. 16, the first anniversary of the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iranian “morality police.”

Finding out about Amini’s murder soon after it took place, from TikTok videos posted by Iranian women, Khazzoom “jumped into action.” She wrote to her political representatives, raised funds for United 4 Iran and reposted Iranian women’s videos on her feed constantly, to help boost the content’s views. “In addition,” she said, “a day after I found out about what happened, a poem with my feelings poured out of me, and I posted it on social media. Months later, I put that poem to a melody, and the band developed it into a full band song, which we released on the [anniversary of the] day of Amini’s murder.”

The death affected Khazzoom deeply for many reasons.

“First, the women in my family wore the abaya, the Iraqi equivalent of the hijab – Jewish women throughout the region were subject to Muslim dress codes, so it’s a Jewish issue, too,” she said. “Second, so many people assume that Islam is indigenous throughout the Middle East and North Africa, but it’s not. Arab Muslims rose up from the Arabian Peninsula and conquered the entire region, forcibly converting masses under the threat of death. So many indigenous ethnicities and religions predated the Muslim conquest, including Jews, Persians, Berbers and Kurds. The Iranian women protesting and burning their hijabs felt to me like challenging that Muslim conquest and awakening the ancient Persian warriors. Third, Persia is central to Jewish history and the origins of the Mizrahi community, dating back nearly three millennia ago…. And, lastly, the fire of these women, and the men who joined them, and their willingness to risk their lives for their dignity and freedom was just breathtaking and profoundly inspirational.”

Another of Iraqis in Pajamas’ releases this year was also intensely personal for Khazzoom.

“I wrote ‘The Convert’s Quest’ in response to some friends on social media sharing how hurt they were, coming under attack during the process of their conversion to Judaism. I had ample experience witnessing variations on this theme throughout my life – both first-person, seeing it happen to friends, and through my research as a Jewish multicultural educator. For decades, I felt very disturbed by this seemingly growing trend.

“I am the daughter of a Jew by choice, as my mother called herself, so the matter of conversion to Judaism is very personal for me,” she said. “I remember understanding very clearly as an Orthodox Jewish child that, according to halachah (Jewish law), once you convert, you are no longer to be called ‘a convert,’ but rather, a Jew, period. So, even from a religious Jewish perspective itself, I was very distraught by the ways that Jewish leaders and communities were rejecting or harassing converts, or even all-out forbidding people from converting. It all flies in the face of Jewish history, theology and practice.”

The band released “The Convert’s Quest” on May 24, on the harvest holiday of Shavuot, which celebrates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people and on which the Book of Ruth is read. It tells the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman who converted to Judaism, whom Jewish tradition teaches will be the ancestor of the Messiah.

“To me, Jewish converts are the lifeblood of the Jewish people,” said Khazzoom. “I have a provocative line in my song, saying that converts are ‘the most Jewish Jews of all,’ because they are intentionally and consciously practising the foundational precepts of Judaism, which so many either take for granted or do rote, as is often the case in the Orthodox Jewish world where I was raised. In addition, amidst life-threatening levels of racism and violence against Jews, converts choose Judaism…. Why would we reject, in any way, from subtle to blatant, someone with such a heroic Jewish soul?”

Even when delivered in a playful manner, Khazzoom’s song are serious to the core. The campy “Kitchen Pirate,” for example, “emerged from my choice to reject the conventional option of surgery, in the wake of a cancer diagnosis in 2010,” she said. “Instead, I chose to radically alter my diet and lifestyle. Simply by overhauling my diet, I cold-stopped the growth of the nodules, which remained stable for the next five years – neither growing nor shrinking – until I returned to my lost-love of music, following which they began shrinking.”

Khazzoom said her songs “are always questioning, always challenging, always defiant. Sometimes, it’s more explicit, other times it’s embedded in silliness, which, parenthetically, I also see as defiant. I am and forever will be a curious, playful and awe-inspired child. I think that, if and when we ‘outgrow’ that, we die inside. And I refuse to capitulate to that norm of expected behaviour once we enter adulthood. By way of example, to this day, at age 54, when I am flying in a plane, if there is nobody sitting next to me, I will stretch out my arms and pretend I’m a bird, during takeoff.”

Not everyone has appreciated this aspect of her personality. “I have constantly gotten into trouble for it and have been at odds with my family, my community and society at large,” said Khazzoom. “I have endured terrible loneliness and often even self-doubt as a result. But I always come back to my core. And all of my songs emerge from that place – that raw, gut-wrenching place of being fiercely alive and allowing the clash with everything around me, and then writing about it.”

It is this enthusiasm that Victoria-based band member Mike Deeth enjoys about being in Iraqis in Pajamas, whose third member is Chris Belin.

“Loolwa and Chris are both easy-going, creative people. The energy is very positive, which makes collaborating with them fun and organic,” Deeth told the Independent. “Further, I appreciate the passion Loolwa has for the subject matter she writes about. One thing I always struggled with as a musician is ‘What do I have to say?’ At the end of the day, I’m a privileged guy who has never had to face oppression, hate, war or genocide. I have a lot of respect for artists who have experienced darker parts of humanity and have the courage to bring that perspective into their art.”

Born in Toronto, Deeth, who is not Jewish, spent most of his adolescence in Calgary, and moved to Vancouver Island when he was 18. He first picked up a guitar a few years earlier and has been playing ever since. “I was in my first band at 18 and played in bands throughout my 20s. For the past several years, I have been mainly focused on recording,” he said.

photo - Mike Deeth
Mike Deeth (photo from Mike Deeth)

Deeth got hooked on music production in his teens, getting his first digital recorder at age 16. “I still remember pulling all-nighters with friends trying to write songs and get ideas down on tape. Production was always fascinating to me, as I could layer parts together into something bigger than I could ever play on my own.”

Deeth and Khazzoom met a couple of years ago through a Craigslist posting. “She was looking for a guitarist to contribute to an early version of her track ‘The Convert’s Quest,’” he explained, complimenting Khazzoom on the fact that she “puts her full heart into her songs.”

“I recorded some initial guitar demos and, about a year later, we reconnected and worked up the current releases,” he said.

Deeth adds guitar to the songs and completes the mix and master of the songs when they are ready for those steps. Khazzoom sings, writes and plays bass, while Belin – who lives in Pennsylvania – composes the drum parts and performs them.

Among his other music ventures, Deeth has “played the guitar with Bryce Allan, a country musician here on the island, and recorded a few tracks with him. I also work closely with Jennie Tuttle, another musician from Victoria. We have been recording together for seven or eight years now.”

For Deeth, “recording is such an interesting combination of art and science. I get to be musically creative, but I also get to play with cool machines, solve problems and think about gain staging, compression ratios and other technical aspects. I thoroughly enjoy both the artistic and scientific parts of the process – they work my mind in different ways.

“I also love how each project starts as a blank canvas and ends with a new piece of music out in the world. There are an almost infinite number of possibilities when recording a track (all the possible settings on the equipment, the subtleties of different instruments) and it always fascinates me how each song takes shape during the process.”

“Mike has an exquisite sensitivity in his musical composition, performance and recording,” said Khazzoom. “He’s not only super-talented and -skilled, but he’s warm, upbeat, enthusiastic and professional. It’s a joy to create music with him. As is the case with our drummer Chris Belin, Mike has an uncanny ability to capture the essence of the songs I write, to the point that I feel he is playing back to me the sound of my soul. I have literally sat and cried after hearing the mixes.”

For more on Khazzoom, visit khazzoom.com. For more on Deeth’s production and sound services, visit glowingwires.com. 

Format ImagePosted on December 1, 2023November 30, 2023Author Cynthia RamsayCategories MusicTags conversion, hostages, Iran, Iraqis in Pajamas, Israel, Judaism, Loolwa Khazzoom, Mahsa Amini, Mike Deeth, Oct. 7, politics, punk music, recording, social commentary, terrorism
Community milestones … Okanagan, Belzberg, Klein & the JI

Community milestones … Okanagan, Belzberg, Klein & the JI

On the dock where they officiated the conversion ceremony are, left to right, Rabbi Alan Bright (Montreal), Rabbi Tom Samuels (Kelowna), Rabbi Jeremy Parnes (Regina) and Cantor Russell Jayne (Calgary). (photo from Steven Finkleman)

The Okanagan Jewish community in Kelowna recently completed a formal conversion ceremony.

Ten months of formal study, with weekly Tuesday evening Zooms, culminated in a long weekend of events July 14-17. There was a bet din (rabbinical court) and mikvah (ritual bath) in Lake Okanagan and the Shabbaton weekend included Friday night and Saturday morning services. Each of the students participated in the Torah service on Shabbat.

photo - The rabbis supervise the mikvah ceremony on Lake Okanagan
The rabbis supervise the mikvah ceremony on Lake Okanagan (photo from Steven Finkelman)

The dedication of these students who have chosen Judaism as their faith was remarkable, as was the dedication of the clergy during the teaching process.

Twelve people participated in the course, run as a Conservative conversion under the directorship of Rabbi Alan Bright of Shaare Zedek Synagogue in Montreal; Rabbi Jeremy Parnes of Beth Jacob Synagogue in Regina and Cantor Russell Jayne of Beth Tzedek Congregation in Calgary joined in the teaching. The OJC was so lucky to have all three clergy in Kelowna for the conversion ceremony, as well as Elizabeth Bright, who officiated at the women’s mikvah, along with the OJC’s Rabbi Tom Samuels. The occasion was the first time ever that four clergy were present in the OJC sanctuary at the same time.

Thank you to all the students and teachers who were involved in this event. Further information can be found at ojcc.ca.

* * *

photo - Fran Belzberg (photo from jewishvancouver.com)
Fran Belzberg (photo from jewishvancouver.com)

Sixteen people will be appointed to the Order of British Columbia, the province’s highest form of recognition, Lt. Gov. Janet Austin, chancellor of the order, recently announced. Among them is Jewish community member Fran Belzberg.

Since arriving in British Columbia more than 40 years ago, Belzberg has championed numerous causes, from health care and medical research to education and nurturing the next generation of Canadian leaders. After her husband of 68 years, Samuel, z”l, died in 2018, Belzberg continued their family’s lifelong legacy of community leadership. Now in her mid-90s, her commitment remains unwavering.

In 1976, Belzberg co-founded the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF), with the mission to advance research, promote awareness and support the well-being of those affected by the disease. Forty-five years later, she is still actively involved in the foundation.

In the early 1990s, Belzberg was instrumental in the establishment of the Think Aids Society to advance research and funding, and raise awareness for HIV/AIDS. In 1995, she was awarded the Order of Canada in recognition of her numerous achievements. In 2003, the Government of Canada partnered with the Belzberg family to create Action Canada, a joint initiative to inspire and support young Canadians and future public policy influencers.

As a champion of education, Belzberg and family have made transformational impacts to the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. In 2016, Frances and Samuel Belzberg were honoured by SFU with the President’s Distinguished Community Leadership Award “for their many years of philanthropy and commitment to education, leadership and equality.”

* * *

image - Beep Beep Bubbie book coverBonnie Sherr Klein’s children’s book, Beep Beep Bubbie, illustrated by Élisabeth Eudes-Pascal and published by Tradewind Books, has been selected to be a PJ Library choice in 2022. PJ Library is a philanthropy that sends free, award-winning books that celebrate Jewish values and culture to families with children from birth through 12 years old. Now, many of these families will meet a grandma who introduces her grandchildren to the adventures they can share in a scooter, including an intergenerational march for the climate. (See jewishindependent.ca/shabbat-with-bubbie.)

* * *

The American Jewish Press Association’s annual conference took place virtually in June. Its 40th Annual Simon Rockower Awards, recognizing excellence in Jewish journalism, took place virtually as well, on June 24. The Jewish Independent took away three honours this year, for work done in 2020.

image - AJPA Rockower 1st place medalIn its division – weekly and biweekly newspapers – the JI once again won first place for its coverage of Zionism, aliyah and Israel. The three-part series by Kevin Keystone – “Hike challenges one’s views” (Sept. 11), “Seeking to understand views” (Sept. 25) and “Contemplating walls” (Oct. 9) – recounts some of Keystone’s experiences on Masar Ibrahim Al-Khalil, the Path of Abraham the Friend, in the West Bank, which he visited in 2019.

image - AJPA Rockower 2nd place medalIn most categories, awards were given out in each of three divisions: weekly and biweekly newspapers; monthly newspapers and magazines; and web-based outlets. However, for excellence in editorial writing, all entries (which comprise three articles each) competed as one large group, and the JI editorial board – Basya Laye, Pat Johnson and Cynthia Ramsay – came in second. The JI won for the set of editorials “Blessings in bad times” (Aug. 28), “Racism is a Jewish issue” (June 12) and “When is never again?” (Jan. 31). The first is about the communications technologies that have made COVID restrictions less isolating; the second asks our community to consider our complacency and complicity in upholding racist systems; and the third reflects on the fragility of democracy and civil order.

image - AJPA Rockower honourable mention medalAnother award that was considered as one large division was that of general excellence – best newspaper. In this category, the JI received an honourable mention (or third place). The judges commented about the paper: “Diverse content, from news to cultural writing, including unique reporting on Jewish media in Canada. Fun and easy to read.”

All of these articles and other award-winning content can be found at jewishindependent.ca. Thank you to all of our readers and advertisers for your support – we are proud to share these honours with you.

Format ImagePosted on August 27, 2021August 25, 2021Author Community members/organizationsCategories LocalTags AJPA, American Jewish Press Association, Beep Beep Bubbie, Bonnie Sherr Klein, conversion, Fran Belzberg, Jewish Independent, JI, journalism, milestones, OJC, Okanagan Jewish Community, Order of British Columbia, PJ Library, Rockower
האם צריכה יהדות התפוצות להביע את דעתה בענייניה של ישראל

האם צריכה יהדות התפוצות להביע את דעתה בענייניה של ישראל

(Beny Shlevich photo)

הצעת חוק החדשה של חברת הכנסת תהילה פרידמן ממפלגת כחול לבן, מעוררת עניין רב בעולם היהודי. לדברי אחד מהבכירים בקהילת היהודים בארצות הברית, דיוויד באטלר, הצעת חוק זו מעלה על הפרק את אחד האירועים המשמעותיים ביחסי ישראל והתפוצות מזה שנים רבות.

השאלה שהחוזרת על עצמה אין סוף פעמים, נדונה לעיתים קרובות במאמרי דעות בעיתונות, בנאומים ובכנסים יהודיים שונים, אך היא מעולם לא זכתה לתשובה חד משמעית. כעת מוצעת בכנסת חקיקה חדשה שתיתן למנהיגי יהדות התפוצות סוף סוף תפקיד רשמי בענייניה של ישראל, ואולי אף תבשר על עידן חדש ביחסי ישראל והתפוצות.

מתוך כלל היהודים בעולם שמספרם מוערך בכחמישה עשר מיליון, קרוב לשבעה מיליון גרים בישראל, לפי נתוני ממשלת ישראל. על פי הערכות שונות כשמונת המיליונים הנותרים חיים ברובם בשש המדינות הבאות: ארה”ב כשישה מיליון, צרפת כחצי מיליון, קנדה כארבע מאות אלף, בריטניה כשלוש מאות אלף, ארגנטינה כמאתיים אלף ורוסיה כמאתיים אלף.

את הצעת החוק, שזכתה לתמיכת משרד התפוצות, מקדמת כאמור ח”כ תהילה פרידמן. החוק המוצע יחייב את ממשלת ישראל להיוועץ במנהיגי יהדות העולם בעניינים שייחשבו בעיניה כמכריעים, ונוגעים גם לכשמונה מיליון היהודים שחיים מחוץ לישראל.

באטלר אומר הצעת החוק החדשה “עשויה להיות אחד האירועים המשמעותיים ביותר ביחסי ישראל והתפוצות מזה עשרות שנים”. באטלר אגב משמש יו”ר ועדת ישראל וחו”ל של ארגון הגג של הפדרציות היהודיות בצפון אמריקה (שמאגד מאה ארבעים ושש פדרציות יהודיות ועוד שלוש מאות קהילות עצמאיות).

פדרציות אלו שולחות במשותף לישראל מדי שנה מאות מיליוני דולרים בדמות מענקים למלכ”רים שונים, שפועלים למען ישראלים מכל מגזרי בחברה. ביניהם שני השותפים העיקריים של הפדרציות מחוץ לארה”ב: הסוכנות היהדות לישראל וארגון הג’וינט.

בסוף חודש אוקטובר קיימו הארגונים את הכנס השנתי שלהם (בפורמט מקוון) ובו עלתה לדיון השאלה המרכזית: באיזו מידה צריכה להיות ליהודי העולם אמירה בענייני הפנים של ישראל. שאלה זו שימשה כזרז להצעת החוק הממשלתית של השרה לענייני התפוצות עומר ינקליבץ’ (השרה החרדית הראשונה בישראל).

אריק פינגהרט, לשעבר חבר קונגרס יהודי מאוהיו (עומד כיום בראש רשת הפדרציות היהודיות) מאמין שהישראלים וממשלת ישראל צריכים לרצות לשמוע גם מהיהודים בעולם, וללמוד ולהבין את נקודות המבט של היהודים בעולם. “איננו רוצים לנסות לומר לממשלת ישראל מה לעשות, אבל אנחנו כן רוצים שהם ישמעו את מה שיש לנו לומר בעניינים המשפיעים על הקהילה שלנו”, הוא מוסיף.

לדברי השרה ינלקביץ’: “עלינו להבין לעומק את האינטרסים והצרכים של כשמונה מיליון האחים והאחיות של ישראל הגרים מחוץ לגבולותינו. זה נכון במיוחד כאשר מדינת ישראל מקבלת החלטות המשפיעות ישירות על קהילות יהודיות מחוץ לישראל. אם למדתי משהו בתפקידי כשרה בשמונת החודשים האחרונים, זה שליהדות העולם יש קול. הוא עשיר, הוא מגוון, הוא חזק, אי אפשר ואין רשות להתעלם ממנו”.

ישנן כמה סוגיות שבאופן קבוע נוגעות בנקודות רגישות במערכת היחסים המורכבת בין שתי הקהילות היהודיות הגדולות בעולם, ישראל וארה”ב. רוב היהודים האמריקנים מזדהים כרפורמים או כקונסרבטיבים, אך היחס לשני הזרמים הלא אורתודוקסיים הללו הוא יחס של בוז או עוינות של ממש, מצד רבים בישראל, בכלל זה הרבנות הראשית. גיורים שעורכים רבנים רפורמים או קונסרבטיבים אינם מוכרים בישראל, ויהודים אמריקנים שרוצים להתפלל בכותל המערבי במניינים שיוויוניים, בעירוב נשים וגברים או בהובלת נשים, נחסמים באופן קבוע ואינם מורשים לעשות זאת.

“במשך זמן רב מדי הייתה ישראל המקום היחיד עלי אדמות שבו לא כל היהודים מקבלים יחס שווה. זה משהו שישראל צריכה לתקן ויפה שעה אחת קודם, ולא רק בגלל יהודי התפוצות”, אומרת חברת הכנסת מרב מיכאלי ממפלגת העבודה. “יש לנו גם כאן בישראל יהודים רפורמים וקונסרבטיבים שעדיין אינם נהנים משיוויון לא במימון, לא בזכויות ולא בהכרה על-ידי המדינה”, היא מוסיפה.

רבים מחברי הכנסת התומכים בחקיקה החדשה התנסו במגורים בתפוצות או בעבודה עם יהודי התפוצות. מיכאלי עבדה בעבר כמדריכה במרכז קהילתי יהודי במערב פאלם ביץ’, פלורידה. פרידמן, עורכת דין דתייה מירושלים, ייצגה בעבר את הפדרציה היהודית הגדולה ביותר בניו ג’רזי (הידועה בשם גרֵייטר מֶטרוֹ-ווֶסט). הוריה של ינקלביץ’ עלו לישראל מברית המועצות לשעבר.

חברת כנסת נוספת שתומכת בחקיקה היא מיכל קוֹטלר-ווּנש ממפלגת כחול לבן, שגדלה במונטריאול ולאחר מכן שבה לישראל. אביה, ארווין קוטלר, שימש בעבר שר המשפטים בקנדה. לדבריה: “השאלה אינה אם אלא איך לערב את יהודי התפוצות. אנחנו חיים ברגע היסטורי, שבו יש לנו הזדמנות כבירה לעצב מחדש ולשנות את תבנית המחשבה ביחסי ישראל והתפוצות, למה שהיא שהייתה אמורה להיות”.

שמואל רוזנר, שמשמש עיתונאי ופרשן של הניו יורק טיימס, אומר כי הוא אינו חושב שהצעד הזה יעבור בכנסת במיוחד עכשיו, כשישראל ממוקדת בקורונה, ודעת ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו מוסחת בשל ההפגנות נגד עמידתו בראשות הממשלה. הוא מוסיף: “הקמת מנגנון אפקטיבי שמייצג נאמנה את האינטרסים של יהודי התפוצות יהיה בלתי אפשרי, והישראלים אינם רוצים בחוק שכזה. אני חושב שהתייעצות בין ישראל לבין יהדות העולם צריכה להיעשות באופן קבוע ורציני, אבל לא צריכה להיות רשמית בשום צורה. אני תומך לחלוטין בדיאלוג, אבל מתנגד לכל דיאלוג שתלוי במנגנונים רשמיים ובחוקים שתכליתם היא לכפות על ממשלת ישראל התייעצות עם גורמים מבחוץ”.

פרידמן מסכימה כי נמוכים הסיכויים שהצעת החוק שלה שפרטיה מעורפלים בשלב זה, לדרוש חובת התייעצות עם יהדות התפוצות בהחלטות שיש להן השפעות ישירות על יהדות העולם – תהפוך לחוק. זאת, במיוחד בנסיבות הנוכחיות. אך היא שואבת עידוד מכך שמשרד התפוצות הטיל את כובד משקלו על ההצעה. “זה פשוט הופך את כל העניין להרבה יותר רציני”, היא הוסיפה.

שירה רודרמן, מנכ”לית קרן משפחת רדומן, גוף פילנתרופי עם משרדים בישראל ובבוסטון, שמבקש לעזור לגשר על הפער שבין ישראל לתפוצות, אומרת שבדרך כלל המחוקקים הישראלים שמים לב לקהילות היהודיות מעבר לים, רק כאשר יש משבר בבית או בחו”ל. רודמן: “זה צריך להשתנות. במשך השנים, שמענו הרבה הערות נגד יהודים רפורמים וקונסרבטיבים, שהדעות שלהם אינן חשובות, למעט כאשר הדברים אמורים בתרומות ובשתדלנות למען ישראל. לפני למעלה משבעים שנה, הייתה לעם היהודי בכל מקום שבו היה – מטרה משותפת: להקים מולדת יהודית. היום, אין לנו מטרה משותפת או ייעוד משותף. איך אפשר לבנות עתיד ביחד אם אין לך מטרה משותפת”.

פרידמן שממשיכה בקידום החקיקה, אישרה שקיימת התנגדות להצעת החוק, אבל היא מאמינה שבכל זאת מדובר ברעיון חשוב. פרידמן: “אני מקבלת לחץ נגדי הן מהשמאל והן מהימין. ברור לכולנו שישנן סוגיות שרק אזרחי ישראל יכולים להחליט בהן, כמו ביטחון וכלכלה. אבל כשמדובר בסוגיות שיש להן השפעה ישירה על העם היהודי כולו, כמו שינוי חוק השבות או איך אמור להיראות הכותל, או שאלות לגבי גיור – גם יהדות העולם צריכה לקבל קול”.

Format ImagePosted on November 18, 2020November 16, 2020Author Roni RachmaniCategories עניין בחדשותTags conversion, Diaspora, Israel, Israel-Diaspora relations, law, Law of Return, Tehila Friedman, Western Wall, world Jewry, גיור, הכותל, חוק, חוק השבות, יהדות העולם, יהדות התפוצות, יחסי ישראל והתפוצות, ישראל, תהילה פרידמן

Rabbinical Council of America’s GPS brings conversions into question

Back in 2008, the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) announced a new system of conversion, GPS (Geirus Policies and Standards). Ostensibly, their goal was to create a universal and centralized standard for all conversions. We warned then that the GPS system would result in invalidating conversions that had been done in the past in accordance with Orthodox law and approved by the RCA. (JTA, March 10, 2008, “RCA deal hurts rabbi, converts.”)

Unfortunately, we have been proven correct. In a letter sent by the Beth Din of America (BDA, which is under the auspices of the RCA) to the chief rabbinate’s office, it was stated that “we cannot accept the conversion of any rabbi who served in a synagogue without a mehitza.” The RCA should clarify if this refers to any rabbi who ever served in a synagogue without a mehitza, or if it refers to a rabbi who performed that specific conversion while serving in a non-mehitza synagogue. Either way, this pronouncement should alarm countless converts.

Back in the ’60s and ’70s, many Orthodox rabbis ordained at Yeshivah University served in mixed seated shuls. The rav, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, felt that in certain communities, YU rabbis should serve because the shuls may one day construct a mehitza. The BDA letter now places the conversions of all of those rabbis in jeopardy. This means that the children and grandchildren of these converts, some living in Israel, could be declared to not be Jewish. This is a terrible violation of the law, which prohibits the oppression of converts.

It is also a violation of the RCA’s own promise when it declared, “… any conversions performed previously [before GPS] that met its standards then, would continue to be recognized.” (“RCA response to public attack on GPS geirus policies,” March 19, 2009) Prior to the GPS system, when conversions were questioned, the RCA would vouch for its members who were in good standing. The RCA didn’t think twice about Orthodox rabbis who served in mixed seated shuls in the ’50s or ’60s, as this was common practice. This has now changed.

When we wrote that the RCA would question conversions done prior to the 2008 GPS standards, we never asserted that the RCA would conduct a witch-hunt to actively search out converts, find them and declare them invalid. What we said was that those converts who now needed to have their conversions validated by the RCA would be in jeopardy as the RCA would cast aspersions on pre-GPS conversions by imposing post-GPS standards.

This is precisely what is happening. When a convert or their children or grandchildren make aliyah, he or she needs his/her Jewish status validated. Because of the centralization of the GPS standards, the chief rabbinate’s office now turns to the Beth Din of America for guidance. The upshot of this is that conversions performed by RCA rabbis who served in non-mehitza shuls for years – some who even went on to become presidents of the RCA – are now in question.

RCA validation of conversions may not be limited to converts who emigrate to Israel. It can also encompass those applying to Orthodox day schools in the United States or applying for membership in an Orthodox synagogue, as these schools and synagogues will be looking to the RCA for guidance.

In fact, the matter is even worse. As a result of the GPS system, the RCA now has a practice of not only evaluating converts at the time of conversion, but for years after. Most recently, a convert who converted through the GPS system informed us of a call received from an RCA official. Having heard that the convert was struggling with Orthodox communal norms, the official threatened to retroactively invalidate the conversion.

The RCA practices should be of great concern to every convert who converts today. Now, the RCA is not only invalidating conversions done prior to the GPS system but threatening to undo conversions done through the GPS system itself.

It is these issues that require immediate detailed clarification from the RCA. In the meantime, we should all be concerned about what seems to be both a retroactive application of current GPS principles and also a creeping reduction of the convert’s status in the Orthodox community.

Rabbi Marc Angel is founder and director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals (jewishideas.org) and a former president of the RCA. Rabbi Avi Weiss is senior rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale and founder of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School and Yeshivat Maharat. They are co-founders of the International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF).

Posted on April 18, 2014April 16, 2014Author Rabbi Avi Weiss, Rabbi Marc AngelCategories Op-EdTags aliyah, Beth Din of America, conversion, Geirus Policies and Standards, International Rabbinic Fellowship, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Rabbinical Council of America, Yeshivah University
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