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NEWS
Vaad HaRabbonim LeInyonei Giyur
by Betzalel Kahn
The government decided to approve a decision by a team of
ministers last week to grant citizenship to parents of
soldiers ineligible to receive citizenship under the Law of
Return.
The decision followed a long-standing request by Yisrael
BaAliyah Chairman Natan Sharansky. A "lone soldier" (in
Israel without his parents) who filed a request to bring one
of his parents who is not eligible for citizenship according
to the Law of Return was told at best he could secure a
tourist visa that would expire upon his discharge from the
IDF.
Several months ago Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued a
directive to set up a team of ministers to solve the problem.
Headed by Justice Minister Meir Shetreet, the ministerial
team decided "a parent of a lone soldier who is not eligible
under the Law of Return, upon the induction of a son or
daughter, can automatically begin a phased process to receive
citizenship. The process will extend over five years, during
which the parent will be a temporary resident for four years,
a permanent resident for an additional year and after five
years will receive citizenship."
Vaad HaRabbonim LeInyonei Giyur, founded by HaRav Chaim
Kreiswirth, zt'l, Gavad of Antwerp, issued a statement
saying, "The government's decision will directly lead to
assimilation in our Holy Land. It would be impossible, of
course, to convert these soldiers who have no genuine
intentions of observing Torah and mitzvos. In the vast
majority of cases, Israeli-rabbinate assembly-line
conversions or conversions sponsored by the army rabbinate
are wholly meaningless conversions that are not even valid
bedi'eved and further increase assimilation since the
masses think these meaningless certificates issued by
rabbinical authorities prove they are Jews when the
giyur is invalid even bedi'eved."
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