High Court recognizes conversions by private Beit Din Ahavat HaGer for purposes of the Law of Return

In depth

The Supreme Court unanimously rejected an appeal by the Population and Immigration Authority and ruled that conversions performed by the private Beit Din Ahavat HaGer, headed by Rabbi Chaim Amsalem, must be recognized for purposes of the Law of Return and population registry. The decision was reached following a proceeding brought by a Filipino woman who converted before the Beit Din. The justices ruled that this is a serious Beit Din that examines the sincerity of converts meticulously.

Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit cited Maimonides and the Talmud in the ruling on the acceptance of converts. The justices criticized the state, which refused to recognize the Beit Din even though it had already recognized conversions performed there. Amit wrote that the ruling "is another link in the never-ending saga of the conversion story in the State of Israel."

Rabbi Dr. Shaul Farber said that "as long as the state abandons conversion, we will fill the vacuum." Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weiss called on the Chief Rabbinate Council to convene urgently for an emergency discussion. A member of the Chief Rabbinate Council warns against harm to the unity of the people and opposes state recognition of private conversions.