Mihu Yehudi: Difference between revisions
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This is a problematic issue in Israeli law that has sparked many controversies over the years and has been at the center of Chabad's struggle for many years. | This is a problematic issue in Israeli law that has sparked many controversies over the years and has been at the center of Chabad's struggle for many years. | ||
[[File:מיהו יהודי.jpg|thumb|Rabbis Shalom Dovber Wolf, Shmuel Hefer, Chaim Dovber Chen (submitter), and Zusha Wilmowsky present Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir with the Million-Signature Petition for amending the law.]] | |||
The question of who is a Jew - who can be registered in the population registry as Jewish and be entitled to aliyah rights granted by the Law of Return to Jews - has not been resolved since the establishment of the state. The common practice generally aligned with Jewish halacha, which has determined who is a Jew throughout the generations. In 1958, when the Minister of Interior sought to change this, controversy arose and the final decision was to continue following halacha, as established in the Interior Ministry regulations. In 1970, following attempts by the Supreme Court to undermine and register non-Jews as Jews, the "Who is a Jew" clause was added to the Law of Return, stating that a Jew is "one who was born to a Jewish mother or converted, and is not a member of another religion." The word "converted according to halacha" was deliberately omitted from this clause, opening the door to fake "conversions" such as Reform and similar ones. | The question of who is a Jew - who can be registered in the population registry as Jewish and be entitled to aliyah rights granted by the Law of Return to Jews - has not been resolved since the establishment of the state. The common practice generally aligned with Jewish halacha, which has determined who is a Jew throughout the generations. In 1958, when the Minister of Interior sought to change this, controversy arose and the final decision was to continue following halacha, as established in the Interior Ministry regulations. In 1970, following attempts by the Supreme Court to undermine and register non-Jews as Jews, the "Who is a Jew" clause was added to the Law of Return, stating that a Jew is "one who was born to a Jewish mother or converted, and is not a member of another religion." The word "converted according to halacha" was deliberately omitted from this clause, opening the door to fake "conversions" such as Reform and similar ones. | ||
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== Setting Interior Ministry Guidelines == | == Setting Interior Ministry Guidelines == | ||
In 1958, controversy over "Who is a Jew" first arose when Interior Minister Israel Bar-Yehuda instructed to register anyone who declares they are Jewish as "Jewish." This caused an uproar and the National Religious Party decided to leave the coalition as a result. Then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, seeing the necessity to resolve this question, turned to fifty "Sages of Israel" - whom he defined as such according to his own view - to express their opinion regarding the definition of Jewish identity in the State of Israel. Out of 59 who were asked, 46 responded, and the vast majority - 37 respondents, including those far from observing mitzvos - proposed supporting the halachic definition. | In 1958, controversy over "Who is a Jew" first arose when Interior Minister Israel Bar-Yehuda instructed to register anyone who declares they are Jewish as "Jewish." This caused an uproar and the National Religious Party decided to leave the coalition as a result. Then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, seeing the necessity to resolve this question, turned to fifty "Sages of Israel" - whom he defined as such according to his own view - to express their opinion regarding the definition of Jewish identity in the State of Israel. Out of 59 who were asked, 46 responded, and the vast majority - 37 respondents, including those far from observing mitzvos - proposed supporting the halachic definition. | ||
[[File:פניית רה מ בן גוריון אל חכמי ישראל.jpg|thumb|Ben-Gurion’s letter to the 50 ‘Sages of Israel,’ among whom was the Rebbe.]] | |||
Among those asked was the Rebbe, who answered in part: | Among those asked was the Rebbe, who answered in part: | ||
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== See Also == | == See Also == | ||
* [[Beta Israel]] | |||
* Beta Israel | |||
== Further Reading == | == Further Reading == | ||
* Rabbi Yisroel Alfenbein, "Chayei Rebbi", series of articles about the gezeirah and the Rebbe's actions to cancel it, Kfar Chabad weekly issues 1800, 1801, 1847 page 38, 1848 page 32, 1849 page 30 | * Rabbi Yisroel Alfenbein, "Chayei Rebbi", series of articles about the gezeirah and the Rebbe's actions to cancel it, Kfar Chabad weekly issues 1800, 1801, 1847 page 38, 1848 page 32, 1849 page 30 | ||
* "Shock: Another Breach in the Wall of Holiness", Beis Moshiach weekly 21 Adar 5781 page 16 • Rabbi Shlomo Halperin, "Root of the Problem", page 20 | * "Shock: Another Breach in the Wall of Holiness", Beis Moshiach weekly 21 Adar 5781 page 16 • Rabbi Shlomo Halperin, "Root of the Problem", page 20 | ||
* "And He Fought the Wars of Hashem", Kfar Chabad supplement Sukkos 5782 | * "And He Fought the Wars of Hashem", Kfar Chabad supplement Sukkos 5782 | ||
* Menachem Bronpman, Kfar Chabad issue 1948 pp. 24-30 | * Menachem Bronpman, Kfar Chabad issue 1948 pp. 24-30 | ||
[[he:מיהו יהודי]] | |||