Let’s be kind and say this simply means – in a monumental understatement – that conversion is a sore subject.
The moment Artem Dolgopyat tumbled, twisted and turned his body to the tune of an Olympic gold medal, the debate over who is – or should be – a Jew has roared across the Israeli landscape. The plaintive cry by Artem’s (admittedly) non-Jewish mother before the cameras – “They won’t let my son marry here!” – has vaulted the conversion crisis into center stage of the public’s consciousness. How can a genuine Israeli hero, who deeply loves our – his! – country, who humbly laid at our doorstep that for which we so desperately crave – positive world attention – not be embraced as a full-fledged Jew? Is that not the height of hypocrisy, the depths of degradation?
Artem, of course, is just one of many thousands of Russian immigrants – as many as a quarter million – who are not halachically Jewish, and so are unable to wed here in Israel, where marriages are conducted solely by the religious, rather than civil authorities. This crisis is not a new one (we have plenty of those, too, don’t worry!); it has been percolating from the moment Israel decided to throw open its doors to Soviet Jewry in the late 1980s. This, I wholeheartedly believe, was a wise and wonderful decision, because it greatly increased our nation’s critical mass (hence the joke: “what is Israel’s second-most popular language? Hebrew!”) and played a major part in jump-starting our ascendant economy.
But this modern exodus to Israel was bound up in a spiritual Gordian knot of mythical proportions, prompting us to ask: “How can we wave our halachic wand and turn non-Jews en masse into Jews? If there is a halachic will – driven by intense public pressure – can there somehow be a halachic way?”
Jewish thought – and practice – is all over the Talmudic page on this. On the one hand, we are obliged to dissuade potential converts and warn them of the difficulty and danger in being Jewish – as Naomi did to Ruth – and the authoritative Shulhan Aruch is clear in requiring a convert to specifically embrace the laws of Shabbat and Kashrut, something many, if not most Russian Jews would balk at. And the Talmud in Bechorot 30, in a rather harsh ruling, declares that if a gentile comes to the religious authorities and is prepared to accept all the words of the Torah except for just one thing, we do not accept him, adding that this is so even if he adopts the entire Torah yet rejects an enactment of the Scribes.
Yet at the same time, we observe that it was not uncommon in the Biblical era for prominent Jews to marry non-Jews. King David’s third wife, the mother of Avshalom, was the daughter of the king of Geshur; David’s son Solomon had a slew of wives from various nationalities (Edom, Ammon, Egypt) who, according to Nehemiah, did not convert. Ditto Samson and Delila.
Consider, too, the famous story of Hillel, who unabashedly converted both a man who wanted to become Israel’s high priest because he liked the special clothing that came with the office (though, of course, a convert cannot become a kohen), as well as a fellow who wanted to be taught the entire Torah while standing on one foot. Hillel is blessed for “bringing them under the wings of God’s spirit” (Shabbat 31). And the very same Talmudic source with which we began this article goes on to say that we should not be overly stringent or onerous in our treatment of a potential convert.
I am a member of the teaching staff at the Nativ conversion course in Tel Aviv, under the direction of Rabbi Ariel Konstantyn, where potential converts undergo a rigorous schedule of study and Jewish practice for more than a year. We have a high success rate; more than 90% of those who stay with the course ultimately pass the beit din and become proud members of the Jewish people. But we emphasize that conversion is not the end to their learning and doing; it is just the beginning of the journey. We don’t expect a newcomer to Judaism to be as well-versed and fluent as someone who’s done it all of his or her life.
It is true that no one approach to conversion will satisfy everyone; certainly the more extreme religious circles – some of whom do not allow conversion under any circumstances – will set the bar so high that only the rarest candidate will manage to vault over it. But a spirited effort to solve this dilemma has to finally be made on a large scale.
Shortly before the last election, I was privileged to sit with Naftali Bennett and discuss a few current issues with him, this one included. I told him that, sadly, Modern Orthodox Jews like ourselves may never be accepted as equals by much of the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) world. But that can’t deter or dismay us; we can hold our heads up high, with pride. We have absolutely nothing to apologize for, nor are we religiously inferior in any way. Our attitude of tolerance for every Jew, our love of the State of Israel and our strong work ethic – along with our excellence in Torah study and observance – is one that God surely smiles upon.
And so I suggested that our now prime minister – an original thinker if ever there was one – gather together a cadre of bright, innovative, Zionist Orthodox rabbis who can constitute a “brain trust” to grapple with issues exactly like this one and come up with strategies for Jewish survival. It should be comprised of bona fide talmidei hahamim, intensely committed to the future of our state, who recognize the need for everyone in that state to feel that they are a valuable part of the nation. If we develop and propose solutions that are palatable to the majority, and are in consonance with our glorious tradition, I believe that eventually the Jewish world – at least the majority of it – will come around to accept them.
As of this writing, Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana is working on a new approach to facilitate conversion, and I wish him much success. It is a bold venture, but these are times that demand boldness and creativity, where the risk is commensurate with the reward. A rabbinic support group such as the one I described can provide him with a vital “firewall” to have his back in this all-important project. If he – and we – succeed, the entire Jewish people will have earned a truly gold medal.
The writer is director of the Jewish Outreach Center of Ra’anana; jocmtv@netvision.net.il