Rabbis against the Rabbinate

AMONG the three main forms of contemporary Judaism (Reform, Conservative and Orthodox) one big point of difference has to do with the terms on which newcomers are received into the faith. And that difference isn't just a religious debating point; it is a hotly contested political issue in Israel, and it has implications for the way Israel functions and understands itself as a state.A few background points. All Jews inherit a certain wariness of converting others to their creed. They associate religious proselytising with dark eras when they were on the receiving end of murderous campaigns to make them switch belief. But there are plenty of people who want to become Jews, and those aspirations have to be dealt with somehow.In the 20th century, responses to this question have diverged. The Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism have sought to open the faith's ranks by adopting more user-friendly and streamlined conversion procedures. The reaction of Orthodox rabbis has been to raise the bar even...Continue reading
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