Dear Friends, Perhaps you read about the Rotem Bill concerning conversion in Israel in the Jewish Week, The Forwards, or any other weekly Jewish newspaper.  This past Shabbat, I shared with my congregation what the Rabbinical Assembly had provided me about the Rotem Bill.  Those who braved the rainstorm, urged me to share to a wider audience what I had said as well as the letter I sent to Prime Minister Netaniyahu and Ambassador Oren.  Please feel free to adapt my letter and sent it on to the Prime Minister and Ambassador. The bill sponsored by MK David Rotem of Yisrael Beitenu, deals with both the authority of the Chief Rabbinate and matters of Conversion. The Rotem Bill concerns three matters: 1. It grants legal authority to the Chief Rabbinate for Conversions (while until now there was de facto recognition this gives legal recognition to the role of the Chief Rabbinate in this area) and would make it much more difficult for conversions to be performed by our Movement, by more “open-minded” Orthodox rabbis, and by Reform rabbis. 2. It provides for the ability of local rabbis in Israel to establish conversion courts. This is a good part of the bill of which we are supportive because it will potentially permit the establishment of more forward looking conversion courts. However, the first part of the bill passes, the Chief Rabbinate may declare these courts null and void, which would obviate any cause for our support. 3. Section 3 of this bill is highly problematic. Here is the summary of Section 3 by our colleague, Reuven Hammer: “Section 3 of the proposed conversion bill that we strongly oppose states that anyone that who entered Israel as a non-Jew and then converted to Judaism-either in Israel or the Diaspora would not be eligible for citizenship under the Law of Return. First of all this is exactly the case that we now have before the Supreme Court, asking that our conversions in Israel be recognized and citizenship rights granted to our converts. This is an attempt to go around the Supreme Court. Secondly, the wording is so vague that it could mean that if such a person had visited Israel at any time, no matter when, their conversion would not be recognized for citizenship in the future. Thirdly this would be the first time that Israel is officially making a distinction between one who is born a Jew and a righteous convert, something that we find deplorable and unsupportable in Jewish Law. Since our movement is the movement that is most involved in conversion in America and elsewhere, we and our congregants are the primary target of the bill. We urge everyone to make their protest known immediately to the Israeli government.” The email for Prime Minister Netanyahu is: Prime.Minister'sOffice@it.pmo.gov.il For Amb. Oren’s office: info@washington.mfa.gov.il The letter I sent on behalf of MJCC: The Honorable Benjamin Netanyahu Prime Minister of Israel Office of the Prime Minister Jerusalem, Israel Dear Prime Minister Netanyahu, I write on behalf of my congregation Marathon JCC to request your immediate intervention to prevent passage of the legislation being brought forward by MK David Rotem Passage of this bill in its present form especially section 3, will have the effect of providing for a path to alter the Law of Return or, at the least, cause undue hardship to anyone in Israel who has come from Diaspora communities and seeks conversion in Israel. Sadly, this is reminiscent of those attempts in 1997 to enact similar legislation which ultimately led to the establishment of the Ne'eman Commission. While we are supportive of your efforts to create greater accessibility to conversion courts in Israel and have done all we can to aid in this effort, the overall impact of the Rotem Bill will set back these efforts. Moreover this legislation will adversely impact the work of our Masorti movement and its members in Israel. This we cannot abide. Even more regrettably, should this bill be enacted, it will exacerbate a widening gap between Diaspora and Israel communities, which we are all working very hard to avoid. Therefore, we believe it is imperative that you, Israel’s leader, who cares so deeply about the well-being of our people, intervene and urge withdrawal of this bill. Sincerely, Rabbi Gary Greene