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Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis May Soon Be Given Control Over Defining Who Is Jewish in Israel

Alana Newhouse has an interesting op-ed in the New York Times about a move in the Israeli Knesset that would give the Orthodox rabbinate control of all conversions in Israel. The authority (extending to matters of all Jewish births, marriages and deaths) would allow ultra-Orthodox (or Haredi rabbis) to define who is Jewish under standards that could exclude a significant portion of the population.


The legislation is the work of David Rotem, a member of the nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party. Newhouse quotes Rivkah Lubitch, an Orthodox woman who is a lawyer in Israel’s rabbinic court system, as stating:

“Even if you didn’t go to register for marriage, and even if you didn’t go to a rabbinic court for any reason, and even if you didn’t pass by a rabbinic court when you walked down the street — the rabbinic court can summon you, conduct a hearing about your Jewishness and revoke it,” she wrote. “In effect, the entire nation of Israel is presumed to be Not-Jewish — until proven otherwise.”

This is another example of the perils of entanglement of temple and state. It would be a move likely to magnify tensions with the American Jewish community which has long had conflicts with narrow definitions of who is Jewish.

Source: New York Times

39 thoughts on “Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis May Soon Be Given Control Over Defining Who Is Jewish in Israel”

  1. Fundamentalist Christians will continue to support this little nation of shemdricks because they need to arise from it during the rapture, leaving the rest of the world, especially Jews, behind. As I’ll be left, I’d like a crack at flying one of the evangelists’ jets, then trying his media room to watch his extensive child porn collection. Or maybe just take one of his Rolls for a hammer down spin in the desert.
    Who says these guys aren’t fun?

  3. Andre Kenji That is true that it was not on the ballot but we have too many christian fundamentalists in this country to approve it except in very few places. Huckabee now leads Obama in new polling. We could have a baptist preacher for our next president. The catholic church is not that liberal in Latin America since the pope squashed the “liberation theology” movement.

  4. I doubt that this thing will be approved. And in fact, most of the support for Israel in the US comes from non Jews.

  5. The Catholic Church in Latin America is very liberal. But it was not like Argentina approved gay marriage on the ballot, not because of a personal vendetta by a lame duck president.

  7. This is actually a good thing! Since Israel is determined to create an unsustainable Jewish State in a Muslim majority country eliminating more Jews will speed the process!

    They will, of course, have the full-throated support of America’s right wing, media and Apocalyptic Christians – none of whom give a damn about Jews or Israel except for their own twisted & sick needs.

  8. Elaine,

    Personally I was thinking of Cthulhu.

    But really, Cthulhu doesn’t play favorites. His operating principle is simpler than that of the Jewish, Christian or Muslim God(s). All people can and will be driven insane and eaten. It’s simply a matter of who gets eaten first and that’s done on a first come, first eaten basis.

    On second thought . . . he is a bit like the Jewish, Christian or Muslim God(s). Especially with the insanity part.

    Nevermind.

  11. This is the problem with any group thinking they are somehow chosen by God:

    God doesn’t do the choosing.

    We do.

  13. Reminds me of the Teaparty purgings. After all it’s only those are being influenced by Satan themselves who would question the rationale of witch burnings.

  14. The pope has alienated American Catholics. Look what happened in Argentina. They approved gay marriage.

  15. What a good way to alienate American Jews, who would mostly not pass the test, as she points out in her article. Israel receives millions, if not billions, of dollars from American Jews. It seems that Israel is being very self destructive here. The irony is that Israeli jews are largely secular. They even eat pork, but call it “white meat.” I wish someone could explain how these people (ultra ultra orthodox) got into the position to determine who is Jewish in Israel (and I guess everywhere).

  16. Humanity ratchets up the polarization, so some Jews are more equal than others and others can’t continue being Jewish. OY

  18. The irony here is stunning.

    Not all, but part of the reason why Israel was created was to provide a safe haven for Jews who are persecuted elsewhere in the world. How twisted it is that the Ultra-Orthodox would now have the imprimatur of the government to decide who is “Jewish” and who is not. Such a declaration would limit the pool of people who are considered Jewish under the law and therefore, less people would have the opportunity to immigrate to Israel should they ever be persecuted elsewhere for being Jewish.

    Another stomach-wrenching twist is that the Nazis had excruciatingly specific methods for determining who was Jewish, from both a physical and genealogical perspective. The irony of the Nazis going out of their way to determine someone Jewish, but the Ultra-Orthodox rabbis going out of their way to determine someone not Jewish, leaves this poster speechless.

  19. This is a thread that we need Mike Spindell to comment on. He has commented that he is not in agreement with the Ultra Orthodox previously. Why wouldn’t it be possible enibob? It seems to me that it is and it is a very dangerous thing for them to do.

  20. ” would allow ultra-Orthodox (or Haredi rabbis) to define who is Jewish under standards that could exclude 85 percent of the population”
    Is that possible?

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