Israel's High Court recognizes non-orthodox conversions for citizenship

Reform and Conservative conversions conducted in Israel should be recognized under the Law of Return to confer Israeli citizenship, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, after nearly 15 years of deliberations.

Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, who led the nine-judge panel, said: “As long as the legislature does not decide otherwise, there is no clear reason not to recognize as Jews for the purpose of the Law of Return those who have converted, like the petitioners, in these non-Orthodox communities in Israel.”

Rakefet Ginsburg, CEO of the Masorti Movement (Conservative Judaism in Israel), said: “This is a historic day. The Supreme Court has made a just understandable and clear ruling. There is more than one way to be Jewish in the State of Israel. Once again, we are forced to fight for our rights in courts instead of engaging in dialogue.

“This is a moment before elections, and it’s time for our public representatives to recognize and repair the relationship with Conservative and Reform Judaism in Israel and the Diaspora. The court has spoken clearly: Judaism has more than one color.”

Opposition to the ruling

Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef criticized the ruling.

“What the Reform and Conservative [movements] call ‘conversion’ is nothing but a falsification of Judaism, introducing thousands of non-Jews into the Jewish people,” he said.