Following innumerable warnings by Vaad Harabbonim Ha'olomi
L'Inyonei Giyur about the matter, the Chief Rabbinate
attacked the IDF's wholesale conversion apparatus which is
responsible for bringing non-Jews into Kerem Beis
Yisroel through short, fictitious courses for
soldiers.
On several occasions, Yated Ne'eman has exposed the
ease with which soldiers receive IDF conversion certificates
following a three-month series of courses after which they
then continue their previous, non-Jewish way of life.
For the first time, recently, Chief Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar
publicly expressed his doubts regarding the military
conversions. "People claim that in the army it's easy to
convert," he said, according to a Yediot Achronot
report. "I asked why and the IDF Chief Rabbi told me that in
the army it is more feasible to hold concentrated studies. I
intend to check the contents of the conversion course in the
army and check the Jewish way of life of the convert. We will
act more strongly and with greater stringency."
High-ranking figures at the Chief Rabbinate issued caustic
statements regarding the IDF conversion setup. "We have no
supervision over the conversions in the IDF. The conversions
are too easy—we won't be able to recognize army
converts as Jews," said one official.
According to recently published figures, in the past four
years more than 1,000 soldiers have been "converted," and the
numbers are on the rise. In 2002 the IDF converted just 16
soldiers, whereas by 2003 that figure was up to 147 and shot
up to 426 in 2004. Last year, over 700 soldiers underwent
these so-called conversions.
While the civilian conversion system requires ten months of
study in preparation for conversion, the IDF runs a three-
month program. "After three months, the soldier receives the
conversion certificate and he is a Jew in every respect,"
reports Yediot Achronot, adding that 90 percent of
participants in the military courses take the exams at the
IDF's special conversion botei din, whereas in the
civilian conversion system only 20 percent of students take
the exams. Thus in 2005 "only" 798 civilian immigrants
converted.
The major problems stemming from the fictitious military
conversions performed by IDF Chief Rabbi Brig. Gen. Yisrael
Weiss, who is promoting these conversions under the aegis of
Gen. Eliezer Stern, will emerge in the near future. Marriage
registrars have been instructed by leading poskim not
to register couples for marriage without conducting a
thorough inquiry into their Jewishness, including those who
arrive with an official conversion certificate.
In Rabbi Amar's recent statement he said he is very concerned
over the military conversions and has no supervision over
what takes place there. In another few years, he warned,
these soldiers will come to register for marriage and the
marriage registrars will delay them. Of even greater concern
is the possibility of a High Court petition demanding that
local rabbonim register non-Jews for marriage. According to
halochoh, at the time of conversion, if conversion candidates
do not genuinely intend to keep Torah and mitzvos the
conversion is invalid, even bedi'eved.
Chief Rabbinate figures say that every military conversion
should be assessed on an individual basis rather than
recognizing the conversion automatically. "I have a really
bad feeling about these [Army] conversions," one high-
ranking official added. "They are too easy. It's a production
line of Jews."
Maronon verabonon zt"l vylct"a have always opposed
performing conversions in the military, saying conversion
must take place only in regular, reputable botei
din.
Vaad Harabbonim says the main problem with the military
conversions is that marriage registrars are required by old
Chief Rabbinate directives to accept these so-called converts
as Jews in every respect. "This directive contradicts the
opinion of maronon verabonon stated in 5744 [1984]
prohibiting the acceptance of conversion certificates without
ascertaining whether the conversion was done according to
halochoh," says Vaad Harabbonim. "Marriage registrars must
remain vigilant by not accepting IDF conversions without
authorization from a certified beis din, in order to
avoid bringing non-Jews into Kerem Beis Yisroel."
