Editing Mihu Yehudi (section)

== Attempts to Amend the Law ==
On 1st Av 5732 (1972), Charedi Knesset member Shlomo Lorincz submitted a proposal to amend the law, based partly on the Rebbe's words on the matter. The Rebbe's secretariat gave instructions to Chabad activists in Israel to gather broad support in the Knesset for the vote, but ultimately the vote failed and the law did not advance. The Mafdal party abstained from supporting the law, despite the directive of Chief Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman, something the Rebbe viewed very seriously. Knesset member Avner Chai Shaki, unlike his colleagues in Mafdal, supported the law despite pressure against him. He paid a heavy price and was fired from the party and government, where he served as Deputy Minister of Education. The Rebbe greatly encouraged him, both publicly and through a personal messenger, and promised him he would return to even greater prominence. From then on, a close connection developed between Shaki and the Rebbe. He had several private audiences (yechidus) with the Rebbe and received support from the Rebbe for a comprehensive book he published regarding the "Who is a Jew" issue.

In the coalition agreement to form the government after the 5734 (1974) elections, it was agreed to amend the law, but Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin did not fulfill the agreement and Mafdal did not insist on it. From then on, the issue was promised again and again when governments were formed by various prime ministers to the religious and Charedi parties, but the promise was never fulfilled and the parties didn't push for it either.

On 1st Tevet 5737 (1976), Lorincz again proposed to amend the law, and the proposal failed.

After the elections in Iyar 5737 (1977), with the establishment of the first right-wing government under Menachem Begin, a more favorable situation for amending the law emerged, since the Charedi party Agudat Yisrael also joined the government, and the Prime Minister himself supported amending the law. The coalition agreements stated that one of the coalition's Knesset members would submit a private member's bill to amend the law, and Prime Minister Begin would try to secure a majority for it. However, in practice, coalition Knesset members did not submit the law, and when opposition Knesset member Kalman Kahana submitted the law, it did not pass the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.

After the 5741 (1981) elections, it was again established in the coalition agreements that the law would be amended. It took a long time until late in the Knesset's winter session of 5743 (1983), when Knesset member Rabbi Avraham Yosef Shapira brought a vote to amend the law at the initiative of the Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Simcha Bunim Alter, with the aim of presenting the amendment as a gift for the Rebbe's birthday on 11th Nissan. 50 voted for the amendment and 58 against, and the vote failed.

Two weeks before Rabbi Nachum Trebnik's passing, on 19th Elul 5743 (1983), Menachem Begin unexpectedly resigned as Prime Minister. Rabbi Trebnik felt that an opportunity had arisen to again condition support for the government on amending the 'Who is a Jew' law, and began a renewed campaign on the issue. Immediately upon learning of the resignation, he sent an urgent telegram to the religious Knesset members: "After six years of unfulfilled personal promises, an opportunity has now been given to insist on a clear and unequivocal commitment to amend the 'Who is a Jew' law." A few days before his passing, he wrote a sharp article regarding everyone's obligation to act for the law's amendment.

Additional proposed laws to amend the law were brought to vote on 26th Shevat 5746 (1986) and 29th Sivan 5748 (1988), and failed.