Attorney General Eliakim Rubinstein told Rabbinical Courts
Director-General Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan that Rabbi Yosef Avior
and Rabbi Tzefania Drori should be allowed to continue as
dayanim in the Special Conversion Courts until they
reach the regular retirement age of dayanim of 70, and
should not be forced to leave at age 65, the the mandatory
age of retirement from government service.
Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Yitzchak Levy has asked to
appoint former Mafdal MK Rabbi Chaim Druckman "Head of the
special conversion courts" following his recent dismissal for
having passed the age of 70. Rabbi Druckman is known to
readers of Yated for heading a conversion court in Or
Etzion which follows in the footsteps of his mentor, former
Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren, and is known for quick
conversions.
Weeks ago, Rabbinical Courts Director-General Rabbi Eli Ben-
Dahan instructed conversion courts heads Rabbi Chaim
Druckman, Rabbi Yosef Avior and Rabbi Tzefania Drori to
retire from their posts due to their age. The three asked to
remain at their posts, claiming they were willing to work on
a voluntary basis since this was not their primary
occupation.
The special conversion courts are known for officially
cooperating with the Joint Conversion Programs run by Reform
and Conservative entities and banned by all gedolei
Yisroel. These three dayanim have engaged
primarily in quick conversions and in recent years serious
claims have been lodged against them about invalid
conversions they performed.
Last week Rabbi Levy sent a letter to Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon, who also serves as Minister of Religious Affairs,
proposing Rabbi Druckman assume the new position. "In this
post Rabbi Druckman would be responsible for the work of the
rabbinical courts (as much as possible) and the work
arrangements for dayanim. In my opinion this
appointment does not require an alteration in the decision of
the Ministers Committee for Conversion Matters." Levy says
this decision must be coordinated with the Chief Rabbinate,
which is in charge of the rabbinical courts recognized in
Israel.
In his letter, Rabbi Levy relates that Rabbi Avior's and
Rabbi Drori's dismissals were being reviewed by the Attorney
General, yet nevertheless he would like to appoint Rabbi
Druckman head of the special conversion courts. "We have an
interest in seeing these dayanim continue their work
at the conversion courts and therefore a solution must be
found to continue employing them in government service or in
another manner since they contribute greatly to the
conversion of those who ask to be converted."
Through the remarks made by the Mafdal's representative,
Deputy Minister Levy, the party demonstrates its full support
for the fictitious conversion industry operating through the
special conversion courts. The letter exposes a bit of the
tension between Rabbi Levy and the Mafdal leadership, and
Rabbi Ben-Dahan. The latter's decision to discharge the
dayanim infuriated the Mafdal and now the party is
trying to have them reinstated and to have the Prime Minister
undertake to contrive a new post and to find a way to
continue employing the two other dayanim.
It should be noted that the Mafdal political party supported
the establishment of Joint Conversion Institutes with the
Conservative and Reform even though this was prohibited by
the Israeli Chief Rabbinate. Rabbi Druckman has publicly
demonstrated his cooperation with these Joint Conversion
Institutes.
A spokesman for the the Vaad Horabbonim Haolami Leinyonei
Giyur founded by HaRav Chaim Kreiswirth zt"l, said that any
convert who does not sincerely and fully accept Torah and
mitzvos at the time of the conversion has not converted, even
bedi'eved. Documented evidence shows that the vast
majority of the converts of the special conversion court
system never intended to properly observe Torah and
mitzvos.
