Israel High Court Asked To Recognize In-Country Non-Orthodox Conversions

In Israel on Tuesday, the Israel Religious Action Center filed petitions asking the High Court of Justice to order the Interior Ministry to grant Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return to seven individuals who were who were converted to Judaism in Israel by Reform and Conservative rabbis. The Jerusalem Post reported yesterday that this is the final step in a 20-year battle by Reform and Conservative rabbis to obtain government recognition of their conversions. In an Editorial, the Jerusalem Post emphasizes that this is a challenge by the Reform and Conservative movements to the monopoly of the official rabbinate over religion in the nation. Ynet News points out that this petition follows on a decision last March by the Israeli Supreme Court that recognized so-called "jump conversions," in which candidates complete non-Orthodox conversion courses in Israel but traveled overseas for their actual conversion ceremonies by Reform or Conservative rabbis. Even earlier, the High Court recognized in-country non-Orthodox conversions for the limited purpose of listing an individual as Jewish in the Population Registry.