JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Interior Ministry has rejected the aliyah requests of some Orthodox converts to Judaism after consulting with the Chief Rabbinate, despite an agreement not to base the civil policy of aliyah on religious rulings.
Ministry documents obtained by ITIM: The Jewish Life Information Center show that in at least two cases in the past month, the ministry rejected an Orthodox convert’s request for aliyah because “the chief rabbi doesn’t recognize the conversion.”
The Chief Rabbinate has become the de facto central body in determining the validity of Orthodox conversions, and it recognizes only about 35 religious courts in North America, mostly affiliated with the Rabbinical Council of America. Conservative and Reform converts are certified as Jewish by the central bodies of their respective movements. There are more than 2,000 active Orthodox rabbis in the United States, according to ITIM.
ITIM sued the Ministry of Interior last February on behalf of Tomas Dohlan, a Canadian man who completed an Orthodox conversion in February 2010 and was denied Israeli citizenship. Some 20 others who had undergone an Orthodox conversion to Judaism also were denied the right to make aliyah following the Chief Rabbinate’s decision at about he same time.
ITIM froze the lawsuit after the Interior Ministry said in a letter in June that the Jewish Agency for Israel would be responsible for approving the eligibility of Orthodox converts for aliyah.
In cases where the Jewish Agency cannot verify the authenticity of an Orthodox conversion, the ministry will turn to the Chief Rabbinate, according to the letter written by Amnon Ben-Ami, director of the Population, Immigration and Border Authority in the Interior Ministry.
At least 15 Orthodox converts to Judaism, including Dohlan, were allowed to make aliyah under the Law of Return following the letter.
“They submitted a document to the Knesset outlining the new rules, and we understood they were implementing them — until now,” said Rabbi Seth Farber, director of ITIM.
The Israeli Supreme Court ruled in 1988 that individuals who underwent conversions in "recognized" communities around the world would be eligible for aliyah under the Law of Return.
When a convert presents an aliyah application, the ministry relies on the leadership of the denominations to determine eligibility. The Conservative and Reform communities are centralized and vouch for their converts.
However, since Orthodox Judaism does not have a centralized leadership, the Interior Ministry consulted with Israel’s Chief Rabbinate to determine which Orthodox communities are “recognized.”
“The treatment of Orthodox converts has reached new lows,” Farber said.
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