Immigration minister urges chief rabbi to declare all conversions valid

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Immigration Absorption Minister Sofa Landver on Wednesday called on Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Amar to make a public announcement declaring all past conversions performed in Israel valid. "Over the last few days, all sorts of interested parties have made statements in the media calling for the annulment of conversions performed in recent years. I urge Rabbi Amar to declare, as he has done so a number of times in the past, that all the conversions that have been performed are valid," she said in a statement. "It is unacceptable for political and other interested parties to try and undermine the legality and validity of conversions," continued Landver. "We must not harm 15,000 new immigrants who went through a conversion process and became Jewish according to Halacha and Israeli law. Rabbi Amar must not forget that he is a signatory on the conversion certificates and that the conversions were performed validly and legally." "I call on Rabbi Amar, don't cooperate with these people by keeping silent," she added. "We need to restore peace of mind to all converts." Landver then turned to new immigrants, who have already gone through the conversion process or are in the middle of it. "I call on you to be strong and sure that your conversions are valid. The conversion certificate you hold is as legal and totally valid as any other certificate given by the state of Israel, no one can invalidate or change the decision," she stated. "Carry on with your lives as normal, and persuade others to join the conversion process. The Immigration and Absorption Ministry is waiting for you." Last year, the Supreme Rabbinical Court nullified the conversions made by special courts headed by Rabbi Haim Druckman.