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From: wkp@lanl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Re: Israeli basketball players
Message-ID: <25501@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 6-May-85 01:00:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: lanl.25501
Posted: Mon May  6 01:00:07 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 7-May-85 21:16:07 EDT
References: <25469@lanl.ARPA> <98@harvard.ARPA>
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Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lines: 35

In article <98@harvard.ARPA> Harry H. Chefitz asks:

> The question asked was: How can one use this issue as proof that religious
> rule in the matter of conversions will lead to evil?
> 
     I think we have a non-argument here, Harry.  I feel that all conversions
     to Judaism should be done k'halacha.  What did you think I said?
     
     My point in my initial posting (you should read it again) was to show
     that corruption occurs just as easily in those Jews who call themselves
     orthodox as those Jews who call themselves non-orthodox.  This is
     borne out by all those graft and embezelment scandals always going on
     in the Mafdal and Tami religious parties in Israel.

> I see this as a conversion scandal, not a basketball scandal!  I don't care
> if the rabbis involved call themselves orthodox, conservative or reform. They
> are low-lifes in my book! But the fact of the matter is that these basketball
> players were allowed into Israel as Jews.  The whole matter could have
> been avoided if the only conversions recognized were halachic ones.  Then
> these basketball players would have been told that they were not Jews
> BEFORE they became integrated into Israeli society.
> 
     You misunderstood the problem.  Current law in Israel is ambiguous,
     but states that only conversions done k'halacha are legal.  The
     orthodox are not happy with this since they want a further amendment
     that only orthodox conversions are legal--irrespective of whether
     or not the non-orthodox conversion was done k'halacha or not.

     I have no problem with this orthodox request at all.  Some of my    
     anti-religious friends in Tel-Aviv always manage to find a few "liberal"
     rabbis in the country anyway to do their weddings, etc. (for a price).  I
     agree with you that these rabbis are low-lifes, but they will always 
     be around (until mashiach comes).
--
bill peter                                       ihnp4!lanl!wkp