Conservative rabbis demand Chief Rabbinate’s cooperation

JERUSALEM, Feb. 18 (JTA) — A Conservative Jewish leader said he was “skeptical but hopeful” after hearing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge Wednesday to continue efforts to resolve the conversion crisis in Israel. Rabbi Joel Meyers, the executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly, the Conservative movement’s rabbinical arm, made his comments after hearing Netanyahu’s address at the assembly’s international convention in Jerusalem. In his speech, Netanyahu urged the 350 rabbis attending not to give up hope on the recent proposal offered by an interdenominational committee headed by Finance Minister Ya’acov Ne’eman. “I think that with goodwill, this solution can be carried out,” said Netanyahu. “I am not willing to give it up.” But, in a letter presented to the premier at the convention, the Rabbinical Assembly said the Ne’eman Committee’s recommendations were meaningless “without the explicit cooperation of the Chief Rabbinate.” The Ne’eman Committee’s proposal aimed to head off legislation that would enshrine the Orthodox monopoly over conversions in Israel in law. It recommended establishing a training institute for conversions that would involve Reform, Conservative and Orthodox rabbis, but would leave the Orthodox in control of the actual conversions. But the proposal was dealt a blow after the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate failed to endorse it earlier this month. The rabbinate said it would establish more rabbinical courts to perform conversions, but that it would not participate in the proposed joint training institute. In its letter, the Rabbinical Assembly said it accepted the Ne’eman Committee’s formula, but only “on the condition that the Chief Rabbinate agree to work together with us in a spirit of mutual respect and tolerance.” The Conservative movement said it hoped a compromise could be reached, but that meanwhile it would continue its struggle in the Supreme Court and the public arena. Netanyahu angered the Conservative and Reform movements by praising the Chief Rabbinate’s statement when it was issued. But, on Wednesday, he said he was pleased with certain parts of the rabbinate’s decision and less pleased with other parts. “I think Netanyahu is trying very hard now to look at the positive aspects of what occured when the Ne’eman Committee report was released,” Meyers said. After the Chief Rabbinate’s action, it was expected that the Orthodox political parties would press for quick passage of the conversion bill. But last week some 80 Knesset members, including Netanyahu, signed a petition supporting the Ne’eman Committee formula. Knesset member Alex Lubotzky of the Third Way Party plans to introduce a resolution next week backing the proposed conversion solution. Some attending the Rabbinical Assembly’s convention, however, were not enthused by that kind of legislative action. Rabbi Ehud Bandel, a member of the Ne’eman Committee and leader in Israel’s Conservative/Masorti movement, said he was opposed to pushing the Ne’eman Committee’s recommendations through the Knesset. Such action would give the committee’s findings legal status without a guarantee that the Orthodox rabbinate would sign up, he said.