The issue of conversion to Judaism is one of the most entrenched dilemmas on religion and state in Israel and has significant bearing on world Jewry. A committee appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to study the topic is now recommending a new conversion law that is rather unlikely to please all streams of Judaism.
In 2016, the High Court recognized conversions conducted by private conversion institutes in Israel for the purpose of the Law of Return (offering all Jews the right to become Israeli citizens). The Chief Rabbinate, which is interested in keeping its monopoly on conversion, was not happy with this ruling. In light of this legal precedent, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party hastened to advance a stringent new law proposal on conversion, which would grant exclusive authority over conversion to the Chief Rabbinate. In July 2017, the bill was passed in the ministerial committee on legislation, despite the objection of Yisrael Beitenu. It caused a crisis with American Jewry, as the Chief Rabbinate rejects in principle conversions by progressive Judaism institutes. At the same time, the Israeli Reform and Conservative movements petitioned the High Court.
