JAFI - 07.15.2004

Jewish Agency For Israel

See scans of  original letter:

page 1  page 2 (low-res)   page 1  page 2 (high-res)

The Jewish Agency for Israel
Board of Governors

Jerusalem 
15 July 2004

To: Heads of Jewish Organizations

Dear Friends,

We would like to update you on an important development with regard to the problem of conversion for olim in Israel. 

As you are aware, since the fall of the Iron Curtain, close to 1 million immigrants have come to Israel — one of the most significant contributions to the future of Israel. Approximately 300,000 of those immigrants who came under the law of return, the majority of them children and grandchildren of Jews, are not considered halachically Jewish. The vast majority of these individuals want to belong to the Jewish people and integrate into Jewish society in Israel, their children go to Jewish schools and serve in the Israeli army.

Five years ago, the Jewish Agency embarked on a national effort to allow those immigrants to study Judaism in order to open the gates for them for conversion. More than 10,000 immigrants have already studied in the special Joint Institution for Jewish Studies by teachers from the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform movements. However, unfortunately, many of the graduates were deterred by the attitude they confronted by the conversion establishment in Israel and could not fulfill their wish to convert. This, in turn, started to discourage many more from beginning to study.

Confronting this threat, the Jewish Agency resolved to work to change the situation. A special Emergency Mission was established including leaders of the Jewish Agency, UJC, Keren Hayesod, and the three Jewish streams. These parties came together, in the spirit of K’lal Yisrael united in one voice, for the immigrants and for the future of Israel. In June the Emergency Mission met with the leadership of the Government of Israel in order to lobby for progress in this crucial issue.

We are happy and proud to share with you that early this week on Sunday, July 11th, the Government of Israel, under the leadership of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, decided to transfer the Conversion Courts to the Prime Minister’s office, to act within a special framework for conversion of immigrants with the aim to assure a proper response to the need and the challenge.

Now that the decision has been made, we will continue to follow up and assist the Government of Israel to assure that in fact the resolution is fully implemented, that Jewish hope is provided to the immigrants and that this important national challenge is being addressed.

In pursuing this matter we acted on behalf of the Jewish people with the strength we get from all of you. We thank you and count on your partnership in our continuous work for the future of our people.

Sincerely,

Alex Grass
Co-Chair, 
Unity of the Jewish People Committee

Carole Solomon
Chairman of the JAFI Board of Governors

Sallai Meridor
Chairman of the JAFI Executive