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Israel Shelves Controversial Conversion Bill

   VOA News 23 July 2010
   Ultra-orthodox  Jewish  men  pray  during the mourning ritual of Tisha
   B'Av  at  the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old
   City, 20 Jul 2010

Photo: AP

   Ultra-orthodox  Jewish  men  pray  during the mourning ritual of Tisha
   B'Av  at  the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem's Old
   City, 20 Jul 2010

   The  Israeli  government  has  shelved  a  controversial bill aimed at
   making Jewish conversions easier for immigrants from the former Soviet
   Union.
   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said late Thursday the bill
   will  be  withdrawn  for  six  months  to  devise an alternative.  In
   return, the liberal Jewish groups opposing the bill withdrew the legal
   action they had initiated in an Israeli court.
   The government says Mr. Netanyahu approved the compromise to "preserve
   the unity of the Jewish people."
   Many  former  immigrants  from  the  Soviet Union are not Jewish under
   Jewish  law.   The bill would have liberalized the conversion process
   inside Israel to some extent, while at the same time strengthening the
   control of Orthodox rabbis.
   The  decision  drew  praise  on  Friday  from liberal Jewish groups in
   Israel  and  the  U.S.  that opposed the legislation and waged a vocal
   campaign to get it thrown out.
   Conversions   are   a  highly  sensitive  issue  for  the  three  main
   denominations   among   the   world's   13   million  Jews:  Orthodox,
   Conservative and Reform.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP.

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