Progress On Conversions,Editorial Board

Some of the buzz heard around the Jewish communal world these days concerns a fascinating series of conferences being sponsored under authentic Jewish auspices to address the problem of conversions among intermarried couples. The second of four conferences took place this week in Hollywood, Florida, and presenters, who came from all over the world, included Rav Nochum Eisenstein, a representative of the great posek Rav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, and such renowned Torah luminaries as Rav Reuven Feinstein; the Sephardic chief rabbi, Rav Shlomo Amar; the chief rabbi of Rechovot, Rav Simcha HaCohen Kook; and Dayan Chanoch Eherentrau of London, among others.

The conferences, sponsored by the Lillian Jean Kaplan Jewish Pride Through Education Project and organized by the Eternal Jewish Family organization, seeks to establish and promote universally accepted standards for conversions. The effort was spurred by the runaway Jewish intermarriage rate and the growing phenomenon of non-Jewish spouses attempting to gain universal recognition and acceptance in the Jewish community. It is this target community that is the focus of Eternal Jewish Family, the latest Jewish continuity project to be spearheaded by Rav Leib Tropper, the highly regarded rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Kol Yaakov of Monsey, New York, and one of the premier kiruv leaders in the Jewish community.

The conference series, because of its broad representation within Orthodoxy, has great potential for a unified stand on a many-faceted issue about which there has been much confusion. The series also marks the emergence of Tom Kaplan, chairman of Eternal Jewish Family and head of the Kaplan Foundation, which is underwriting the entire cost of the conferences, and Yehudah David Kaplan, another member of the Kaplan family, as major factors in Orthodox Jewish philanthropy.

Though at first blush the conversion of non-Jewish spouses would seem to be a common sense no-brainer, the issue is actually quite complicated. For one thing, halacha requires that conversion ordinarily be discouraged and certainly not permitted as an expedient accommodation or concession to a prospective Jewish mate. Indeed, one is required to wax eloquent on the difficulties of being a Jew to a prospective candidate for conversion.

The problem of intermarriage has been exacerbated in recent years by the Reform movement's acceptance of patrilineal descent - a position contrary to halacha, which provides for matrilineal descent. This was touted as a means for both increasing the number of people who will identify as "Jews" and impressing census takers. In reality, of course, among other negative effects it effectively encourages intermarriage.

While patrilinealism continues as an engine of profound divisiveness in Judaism, the problem has entered a new phase with the Reform movement's decision to encourage non-Jewish spouses of Jews to convert - a development that, if nothing else, will certainly result in a further muddying of the Jewish waters.

Eternal Jewish Family seeks to promote the adoption of universally accepted conversion standards to maximize the emergence of universally accepted Jews and to minimize the creation of still greater numbers of those who will not be universally recogized.

The goal of Eternal Jewish Family is a relatively narrow one, dictated by the dynamic of halacha. There will be those non-Jewish spouses of Jews who will sincerely wish to become shomer Torah u'mitzvot in the full sense of the term. They will receive assistance, but under halachic auspices and via halachic imperatives. Others will not be so motivated but will experience a genuine epiphany when subjected to the halachic process and made aware of the deficiencies and limitations of a non-halachic conversion - and through that experience ultimately pass muster for halachic conversion.

The issue is obviously of the greatest moment. What distinguishes this effort by Eternal Jewish Family is the authentic Torah authority driving it and thus the prospect for all of Orthodoxy to unite behind it. Just as important, we note the historic opportunity for non-Orthodox movements to seize upon the notion of universal, unambiguous standards as a means of repairing the breach in the integrity of Jewish peoplehood. As noted, Tom Kaplan seems committed to providing the financial wherewithal to finally deal with the problem in a serious and long-term manner.

We applaud this initiative and plan to report more on the conference proceedings next week.

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Progress On Conversions , Editorial Board