Lapid blasted over unauthorized changes to conversion rules

[bemildred]

Same old same old ...

I have often thought that one easy solutiuon to the I/P problem
would be for all the Palestinians to covert to Judaism long enough
to become citizens.

I guess this will prevent that sort of "deceit".

Justice Minister Yosef Lapid came under fire from opposition lawmakers Tuesday in the wake of a Haaretz report that Sephardi Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar had made unauthorized changes to the rules for conversion to Judaism.

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The rules impose a series of draconian demands on conversion candidates and grant the chief rabbis total control over the conversion courts, which are supposed to be under PMO jurisdiction.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon established a conversion taskforce last July in the PMO and appointed Rabbi Haim Druckman to head it. In a meeting on September 6, Sharon tasked Druckman to draft the new conversion regulations together with Amar, who is president of the rabbinic high court, but the new regulations appeared a week later in the official state record under Amar's signature, without Druckman's knowledge.

The rules make Amar the authority for appointing all officials in the conversion establishment, including Druckman. They also give the courts extensive new powers, including the prerogative of retroactively annuling conversions they deem "mistaken."

Haaretz