This week's Forward carries an article on the tensions between two different governmental bodies in Israel over permitting conversions to Judaism. The state-funded Institute for Jewish Studies that was formed in 1998 to break a deadlock between Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jewish concerns about conversions has stopped referring candidates to Israel's rabbinical courts for conversion until the chief rabbinate appoints new members to the Conversion Authority who will not impose such strict conditions for conversion. Rabbi Andrew Sacks of the Masorti (Conservative) Movement criticized current rabbinical court members, saying that they are imposing a new "Khomeinization of the process of conversion in Israel".
Appointment of new members of to conversion courts has been held up for months. Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander says this is because he has been under pressure to approve rabbinical court judges who do not meet statutory standards for appointment.
