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Schedule Registration Housing |
| Thursday, January 6, 2000 9:00 a.m.–12:00 noon |
Delaware Suite A Marriott Wardman Park Hotel Lobby Level |
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Section on Jewish Law |
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| David M. Cobin, Hamline University, Chair |
| Law, Religion, Politics and the Conversion Crisis |
| Moderator: | |
| David M. Cobin, Hamline University | |
| Speakers: | |
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Michael Jay Broyde, Emory University Elliot N. Dorff, Rector and Professor of Philosophy, University of Judaism, Los Angeles, California, and Visiting Professor, Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, New York David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Washington, D.C. Daniel B. Sinclair, Professor of Law, College of Management, Tel Aviv Law School, Risho LeZion, Israel |
| Conversion has been a part of Jewish life since the Book of Ruth. In the past century-and-a-half, conversions have been performed under the auspices of distinct branches of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist. Especially in the last half-century, since the birth of the modern State of Israel, Jews from all over the world, including converts, have come to Israel, to live, to marry and raise a family. The government of Israel has given all Jewish religious authority to one branch of Judaism, Orthodoxy, under the leadership of the Ashkenazic and Sephardic Chief Rabbis. Moreover, the Chief Rabbis have become increasingly associated with the stricter wings of Orthodoxy. |
| In this context, consider the following alternatives: Suppose Betty has converted to Judaism under the auspices of the Conservative or Reform movements in the United States. She goes to Israel and meets a Jewish Israeli, Edan. The fall in love. Can Betty and Edan marry in Israel? Suppose instead that Betty and Edan marry outside of Israel and then live together in Israel. Will rabbis in Israel perform marriage ceremonies for Betty and Edan’s children? If Betty and Edan marry in the United States and then live in the United States, will rabbis in Israel perform marriage ceremonies for their children in Israel? What if Debbie, born in America, comes to Israel and wants to convert to Judaism under the auspices of the Conservative or Reform movements in Israel. Will the Chief Rabbis recognize such a conversion? What rules should apply to Russians who come to Israel with uncertain family histories? Ethiopians? These and related questions have profound implications on the lives of non-Orthodox Jews and on the legitimacy of non-Orthodox Judaism. On the other hand, relaxing established standards may have profound implications on the unity and sanctity of the Jewish people. These controversies have produced a crisis in Israel and all over the Jewish world. |
| How should the conversion crisis be resolved? What approach should Israel take for the new century? In this session speakers will discuss the nature of the conversion crisis today and assess the relative success or failure of the Israeli government’s attempts to resolve it. Representatives of the Orthodox, Conservative and Reform movements will discuss their movements’ perspective on the questions raised and what approach should be taken by the government of Israel and the Chief Rabbis. An opportunity will be provided for the audience to ask questions of the speakers and to give their own views. |
| Business Meeting at Program Conclusion |