A woman in Romania has applied to the Interior Ministry to
come on aliya on the basis of an Internet
"conversion," the ministry announced.
It said that the woman, whose husband is not Jewish, had
applied to come together with him and their children. The
"conversion," whose validity the ministry does not accept,
was carried out by an American rabbi, the ministry said.
Michael Boyden, head of the Reform movement's Israel Council
of Progressive Rabbis, said that he had investigated the case
after the woman appealed to the movement for assistance, and
found that the facts were much as the Interior Ministry
presented them.
Boyden said that the rabbi involved was Richard Schachet, a
Reconstructionist rabbi associated with the Valley Outreach
Synagogue. On the Internet, the synagogue describes itself as
Reform and located in the Los Angeles area, and says Schachet
has retired.
The Vaad HaRabbonim Haolami LeInyonei Giyur headed by HaRav
Chaim Kreiswirth, said that this incident shows the absolute
chaos that reigns in this area. Even the Reform, who
themselves have no general standards for what constitutes a
proper conversion, reject this geirus -- apparently
because the officiating person was a Reconstructionist and
not Reform. This shows the extreme importance to pass the
Conversion Law that has been the goal of United Torah Judaism
for several years, and is one of its current coalition
demands, that would give sole authority to the Israeli Chief
Rabbinate to determine which conversions are accepted and
recognized by the State of Israel, as has been the case for
more than fifty years since before the founding of the
State.
