The Law and Justice Knesset Committee, which had been scheduled to discuss and vote upon the law of conversion this past Monday by request of MK Eliezer Stern (Hatnua), decided to postpone it because of lack of concurrence within the Coalition only minutes before a vote was about to take place.
The bill presented by MK Stern and promoted by him with full steam, establishes that every municipal rabbi can convene a conversion beis din. In addition, it stipulates that the Minister for Religious Services shall be authorized to supervise all national conversion courts as well as the conversion process within the army. The Habayit Hayehudi party announced that it is opposed to this bill and requests that an alternative bill be prepared by the deputy minister of religious services, MK Eli Ben Dehaan. Ben Dehaan's bill has not yet been approved by the ministerial committee for legislation, which is holding up the vote on the first reading in the Knesset plenum.
MK Rabbi Uri Maklev, member of this legislative committee, expressed satisfaction at the postponement of the discussion and vote in such a critical issue and said that it is due to covert behind the scenes activity on the subject. "I am happy that my efforts bore fruit," he said.
