Judaism Conversion Process in Israel - Complete Guide

Every year, approximately 3,000 individuals convert to Judaism. This journey is long and complex; among all religious conversions, converting to Judaism is undoubtedly one of the most intricate and prolonged processes.

These processes are carried out today in Jewish communities across the world. In Israel, however, there are many additional bureaucratic and administrative complexities, often accompanied by political implications

After all, the process of conversion in Israel revolves not only around questions of identity and religion but also serves as a channel for naturalization under the Law of Return.

The Ministry of Interior has positioned itself as a gatekeeper, ensuring that conversions are carried out in accordance with the national standard to prevent abuse of the Law of Return.

Unfortunately, however, it is often the case that converts who have undergone conversion in accordance with Jewish law, adhering to the strictest halakhic standards, discover that the state does not recognize them as Jews. Moreover, there are instances where even Jews by birth are required to undergo conversion in a process called "giyur l'chumra" (conversion for stringency), essentially to affirm their Jewishness through an abbreviated conversion process.

In this article, we will review the various types and stages of the conversion process in Israel.

Types of Conversion Processes in Israel

the Supreme Court ruled distinctly in the well-known Ragachova case that, for the purpose of the Law of Return, the state (through the Ministry of Interior) will recognize conversions performed in private rabbinical courts, as long as they meet the standard referred to in the ruling as a "recognized Jewish community."

According to rulings by Israeli courts, in principle, any conversion of "a person who underwent conversion in a recognized community in accordance with its accepted criteria" is a conversion that the State of Israel recognizes.

According to the latest rulings, private rabbinical courts in Israel with an established halakhic status in the community meet the standard of a "recognized Jewish community," and conversions performed through these private courts will be recognized for the purpose of the Law of Return and the Population Registry. This ruling is now known as the "Ragachova Rule.".

In practice, the Ministry of Interior, through the Population and Immigration Authority, often imposes difficulties on converts seeking recognition of their conversion certificates... for the purpose of registering as a Jew or exercising their civil rights under the Law of Return.

The unofficial position of the Ministry of Interior, or as is evident from its conduct on the issue, is that a person who has successfully met the conditions, criteria, and challenges of the state conversion system (challenges that largely stem from the stringent views of the rabbis and judges in the state system, and are not fundamental requirements of Jewish law), their conversion was performed as a conversion should be performed according to the view of the officials in the Ministry of Interior.

However, it is important to know that the courts in Israel have already firmly and clearly determined their position that the Ministry of Interior is obligated to recognize conversions legally performed in private rabbinical courts as well.

If so, the official paths in Israel for conversion are as follows:

Regular State (Rabbinate) Conversion

This is essentially the official conversion process recognized by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. This conversion is conducted in accordance with Orthodox Jewish law, of course. It is an individual process that includes a long and complex course of study accompanied by dedicated rabbis and professionals.

A citizen interested in converting can contact one of the conversion institutes throughout Israel and begin the process.

In the first stage, the conversion candidate will begin a preparatory course, during which they will learn about Jewish tradition, Jewish history, laws, and commandments, and they will be required to maintain a religious lifestyle.

After about two months, the conversion candidate will open a file in the conversion court and be interviewed by the court where they will convert. During the interview, the judges will examine the candidate's desire and motivations to convert and approve their candidacy for conversion.

In the conversion study program, the candidate will learn about the Jewish way of life, observance of religious commandments in daily life, customs of different communities, the history of the Jewish people, as well as Torah study and religious practices, including in-depth studies of Jewish holidays and festivals. Throughout this process, the candidate is required to observe the commandments and maintain a religious lifestyle.

In addition, to enable the candidate to prepare for conversion, they are accompanied by rabbis and "accompanying families" to practically learn the Jewish way of life.

Later in the process, about eight months after its start, the candidate will meet with a representative of the court to receive guidance for the future.

After completing the training and study process, the convert will stand before the court for a hearing to approve their conversion. In this hearing, the court judges will examine the seriousness of the candidate, as well as their knowledge and observance of a religious lifestyle, according to their perspective.

The judges will then decide whether the candidate's way of life, including their environment, as well as the training and studies they have undergone, are satisfactory to them or not. They will rule according to their discretion whether to approve the conversion.

If they rule positively, the candidate will be required to accept the yoke of Torah and commandments, and will be sent for immersion in a mikveh and circumcision (or hatafat dam brit if the person is already circumcised) in the case of a male.

It should be noted that in the case of a foreign citizen, their conversion requires the approval of an "Exceptions Committee" (a committee composed of representatives of the Chief Rabbinate, the Prime Minister's Office, and the Ministry of Interior, whose role is to consider approval for conversion candidates who are not citizens or residents). In such a case, the conversion candidate is required, before starting the process, to obtain approval from the committee to begin their studies, and also to obtain approval to undergo the conversion in the court at the end of the process.

At the end of the conversion process, the court will issue a conversion certificate (also called a "deed of court"), and the convert will be able to use it to obtain a "religious conversion certificate" that will allow them to change their registration in the population registry to "Jewish."

How long does the conversion process through the Rabbinate take?

A standard conversion course usually takes about one academic year. Afterwards, if it is deemed appropriate that the convert is ready, they will be able to undergo the official conversion ceremony.

State Conversion in the IDF (Nativ)

The IDF offers a dedicated program ("Nativ Course") for conversion for non-Jewish soldiers who wish to join the Jewish community during their service. The process is similar to the civilian track, with a few changes.

The conversion program in the IDF provides a structured path for conversion, including study, community involvement, in which the converts are active in Jewish communities and institutions, and even stay with an observant Jewish family for a certain period, in order to learn and internalize the religious way of life and observance of Jewish law.

IDF rabbis who have been trained for the process accompany the converts throughout the study program and the preparation process for the conversion ceremony. This program is usually shorter and more flexible, in order to ensure a conversion process adapted to the demanding schedule of military service. In addition, most classes and ceremonies take place on the base itself.

The initial stage in the IDF conversion process is called "Basic Nativ," and it deals with issues of identity, Jewish heritage, and Zionism of the conversion candidates.

Soldiers who have completed the course and wish to continue the process proceed to two seminars, during which the rest of the study content will be completed.

Soldiers who have properly completed these seminars will arrive at the conversion court for the conversion ceremony, which will consist of two military rabbis and a judge from the "Conversion Authority." Here, too, similar to the procedure in the state courts, the judges will decide whether to accept the soldier for conversion.

How long does the conversion process in the IDF take?

Soldiers requesting to convert during their service are also required to undergo a study period, which usually lasts about six months, at the end of which the conversion ceremony will take place and the certificate will be received.

Military service often serves, for many non-Jewish residents of Israel, as a kind of gateway to Israeli society. As part of this process, they may also choose to adopt the Jewish religion.

For many soldiers from non-Jewish backgrounds who make the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the IDF, posthumous recognition as Jews through the conversion process can provide a meaningful acknowledgement of their identity and commitment to the Jewish state..

From the moment the conversion certificate is received, it is possible to begin the naturalization process under the Law of Return, to marry in a valid Jewish marriage, and to enjoy all the rights relevant to Jews in Israel.

Conversion in Private Rabbinical Courts

The conversion process in private rabbinical courts is characterized by the fact that the parameters set by the courts align with and adhere solely to the requirements of Jewish law. In other words, without various additions that stem from different, more or less stringent worldviews.

In private rabbinical courts, purely halakhic parameters have been established, with the fundamental aim of enabling a person who wants to be Jewish and is worthy of being Jewish to indeed do so.

Therefore, the requirements of the courts can be adapted according to the given situation of the conversion candidate.

For example, if the court has examined and found that the conversion candidate has sufficient knowledge of the requirements of Jewish law, because over the years they have lived in close proximity to Jews who observe tradition or commandments, or because the conversion candidate has independently invested in Jewish studies, and in addition, they observe commandments (even if not all of them), the court may decide that the candidate can suffice with a shorter preparation framework and can be accepted for conversion.

Another example, unlike the state rabbinical courts, which require various religious and halakhic requirements from the convert's environment and close associates, as a rule, private rabbinical courts will not require religious or halakhic requirements from the convert's environment, spouse, or family.

In this regard, it is important to note that in the state rabbinical courts, there have been quite a few cases where the court ruled, in the final hearing, after an exhausting preparation of the conversion candidate (sometimes lasting several years), not to convert the candidate because it became clear to them that the candidate's spouse no longer observes commandments as required, or that the candidate cannot be accepted for conversion because they do not adhere to a certain commandment, or do not pray three times a day with a minyan, and so on. In contrast, private rabbinical courts can accept such a candidate for conversion.

It should be emphasized - from a halakhic perspective, a convert who converted in a private rabbinical court is Jewish in every respect, and there is no power in the world capable of denying their Jewishness from a halakhic or substantive perspective.

The differences between the requirements of state and private rabbinical courts are merely procedural and practical, and they have no bearing on the halakhic and religious validity of the conversion.

Moreover, some of the private conversion courts are sometimes headed by world-renowned rabbis with global standing in the field of conversion, who possess special halakhic expertise in this area. Therefore, quite often, in halakhically complex cases concerning conversion, it is their ruling that is specifically required regarding the manner and implementation of the conversion process.

It is worth noting that sometimes even judges in Israeli courts who require a halakhic opinion on the matter of conversion turn to rabbis who are experts in conversion and head one of the private rabbinical courts.

By the nature of things, and despite the principled position of the Ministry of Interior that it "does not encourage" recognition of conversion, in practice, the state's recognition of conversions by private conversion courts is growing, in conjunction with court rulings.

The state's recognition of conversion in private rabbinical courts began following the rulings issued by Israeli courts in recent years, which obligated the state to recognize these conversions.

Therefore, even if in the past, the Ministry of Interior opposed the recognition of these conversions and insisted on its position in every possible way, today, the court repeatedly compels the Ministry of Interior to recognize these conversions, both in terms of the Law of Return and in terms of registration as a Jew in the population registry.

Indeed, although conversion in private rabbinical courts often presents a set of challenges, it should be clarified that according to the "Ragachova Rule" from March 2016, and the Wollmer ruling from September 2022, private rabbinical courts operating according to Orthodox Jewish law are recognized as valid conversion institutions in every respect.

However, the Ministry of Interior can often make the process complex. Thus, even if on the level of halakhic religious law, it is a proper conversion, as we said above, it is often necessary to "force" the Ministry of Interior to recognize these conversions through the court.

And why is that? It is important to remember that de facto, the Ministry of Interior acts in this matter based on considerations that partly stem from the worldviews of the parties involved in it. Views that "do not encourage" conversions, to put it mildly, and therefore the Ministry of Interior imposes difficulties and challenges on those seeking recognition of a conversion performed in a private conversion court, again, contrary to the spirit of the rulings in Israeli courts.

It is worth noting in this regard that, as a rule, the difficulties posed by the Ministry of Interior will appear in some cases to be "innocent," on a technical background and with various, rather "logical" pretexts. For example, that certain documents are incorrect or unsuitable, or that some document is "missing" from the converting court, or there is no basis for this or that requirement, or that an additional affidavit is required from a rabbi recognized by the Ministry of Interior. Or, for example, that according to the Ministry of Interior, the convert did not prove a sufficient amount of study before the conversion, even though the court already considered these considerations in its decision to accept the convert.

After the applicant meets all the requirements and provides all the necessary documents, the matter will be subject to the discretion of the Ministry of Interior, which will decide whether to accept or reject the request, and then, after "foot-dragging," the Ministry of Interior will issue a "decision rejecting the request."

Indeed, it is often the officials in the Ministry of Interior who have their hand on the "faucet" and carry out orders from above. However, it is important to know that it is possible to deal with the challenges if one acts correctly from the beginning.

The timeline for the jewish conversion process in a private rabbinical court generally spans from around six months to a year. However, the duration can be extended or shortened based on the court's discretion and the specific circumstances of the conversion candidate undergoing the jewish conversion process

Frankel Amsalem Law Offices is a firm with unique expertise in conversion processes and offers legal services to the conversion candidate throughout the entire process.

For more information and to schedule a consultation, you can leave your details here.

Private rabbinical courts are divided into two types:

There are private rabbinical courts whose conversions have been recognized as valid by the Israeli legal system. Particularly well-known are the judgments (High Court of Justice) in the Ragachova case, given in March 2016, and as a continuation of it, the Wollmer ruling given in September 2022 in the Jerusalem District Court, as mentioned above.

In these important rulings, the Israeli courts effectively recognized the conversions of converts who underwent the conversion process in several private rabbinical courts. The significance of this recognition is that these courts, and the heads of the courts, have a sufficiently established halakhic Torah status in the Jewish world for the conversions performed through them to be recognized for the purpose of the Law of Return and the Population Registry.

These include the "Giyur K'Halacha" network of rabbinical courts, the "Ahavat HaGer" International Conversion Court headed by Rabbi Chaim Amsalem, the "Badatz Bnei Brak" court headed by Rabbi Karelitz, and the court headed by Rabbi Frank of Meah Shearim.

When it comes to a judaism conversion process carried out in these courts, the likelihood of success in the process vis-à-vis the Ministry of Interior is higher.

On the other hand, when it comes to private rabbinical courts that are not on this list, even though there is a general directive from the court to examine each conversion on its merits, and even though they operate according to all the rules of halakha, and even though the converts in them have become Jews in every respect, on the halakhic level, the challenges posed by the Ministry of Interior will be greater.

It is important to know that in cases where the Ministry of Interior has given a refusal or rejection, there is a possibility to appeal (file an objection) against its decision, and subsequently to file an administrative petition to the District Court against the decision of the Ministry of Interior.

The court tends to accept these petitions and compels the Ministry of Interior to reverse its decision, especially if it is a sincere conversion process carried out lawfully in private rabbinical courts recognized in case law.

How long does the halakhic conversion process in a private rabbinical court take?

The process usually takes between about six months to a year. However, the duration may change, becoming longer or shorter, according to the discretion of the court, depending on the given situation of the conversion candidate.

Frankel Amsalem Law Offices is a firm with unique expertise in conversion processes and offers legal services to the conversion candidate throughout the entire process.

For more information and to schedule a consultation, you can leave your details here.

Conversions Abroad

The process of converting to Judaism in Israel differs to some extent from the conversion process abroad, but still shares many characteristics and aspects with it. A conversion performed according to halakha within the framework of a rabbinical court or a recognized Jewish community in the Diaspora can be recognized by the State of Israel, both in terms of the Law of Return and for registration in the Population Registry. However, as we shall see, the conditions and requirements for obtaining this recognition when converting to Judaism in Israel are not always simple, and sometimes even involve significant bureaucratic challenges vis-à-vis the state authorities.

Which types of conversions in Jewish communities abroad are recognized in Israel?

As a general guiding principle, the conversion must take place within a "recognized Jewish community" in order to convert to Judaism in Israel. This means that if a person underwent a conversion process within the framework of a rabbinical court or community abroad that is not recognized by the religious authorities or the Ministry of Interior in the State of Israel as meeting the definition of a "recognized Jewish community," it is not possible to receive status in Israel under the Law of Return or to register (for those already eligible under the Law of Return but not Jewish) in the Population Registry of the State of Israel as a Jew based on such a conversion when trying to convert to Judaism in Israel.

However, there are a few more basic conditions in order to be able to receive state recognition of a conversion performed in a recognized Jewish community. We will present here, on a general level, the main ones:

• The person must prove that they converted out of a sincere and serious intention to join the Jewish people and accept the Jewish religion, and did not use the conversion process merely out of a desire to obtain civil status in the State of Israel.

• They underwent preparation for conversion - that is, regular studies within the community and active participation in community life.

• Guidance by a rabbi preparing for conversion within the community.

• The conversion was performed by the authorized institutions of the community.

• Active participation in community life for close to a year after the conversion; in certain cases, such participation will be required for close to two years.

• There are no circumstances that raise suspicion of abuse of the conversion option.

• In cases where the convert performed the conversion within a recognized Jewish community more than 10 years ago, the process for them may be easier.

In this regard, it is worth noting that three different registrations are relevant to the matter of conversion. One is recognition for the purpose of the Law of Return, the second is registration as a Jew in the Population Registry, and the third is registration as a Jew in the registries of the Chief Rabbinate. It should be noted that registration in one does not obligate the other two, and vice versa.

For our purposes, the two relevant registrations are specifically those of the Ministry of Interior, i.e., recognition of the conversion for the purpose of the Law of Return, which allows for the acquisition of citizenship and a passport, or registration as a Jew in the Population Registry.

(Registration with the Rabbinate is an independent and separate issue in itself. As a rule, those who did not perform the conversion through the Chief Rabbinate, or in a community abroad recognized by the Chief Rabbinate, are not affected by this registration).

The Ministry of Interior, here too, does not tend to make life easy for those who performed the conversion abroad, or who began the conversion process abroad and completed it in a private rabbinical court in Israel.

However, with regard to conversions performed abroad, the High Court of Justice, in addressing this issue in the late 1980s, in a famous ruling known as the "Shas Movement HCJ" - Shas Movement v. World Union for Progressive Judaism (HCJ 264/87), in which Justices Meir Shamgar, Menachem Elon, Aharon Barak, Moshe Beisky, and Gabriel Bach ruled that, according to the Population Registry Law, a person's conversion will be registered according to their declaration, accompanied by a document attesting to the conversion.

The court clarified to the Ministry of Interior that the registration clerk is not authorized to cast any doubt on the validity of a conversion process conducted abroad, as long as the submitted document indicates that a conversion ceremony was indeed conducted properly and legally in a Jewish community. This also applies to conversions within Israel of non-Orthodox communities; rulings have clarified that the term "religious community" applies to all the various Jewish communities and streams in the State of Israel.

In practice, however, officials of the Ministry of Interior may often pose difficulties in accepting the official conversion certificate in these cases, and therefore, of course, it is important to be accompanied by appropriate legal advice from the outset.

In conclusion

The conversion process in Israel is a complex and multifaceted journey that presents the converts with halakhic, bureaucratic, and personal challenges.

Whether one chooses the state route, the military route, private rabbinical courts, or conversion abroad, it is important to be aware of the requirements, waiting times, and possible difficulties in each route.

With proper preparation, correct guidance, and the necessary determination, it is possible to successfully navigate the conversion process and fully join the Jewish people.

It is important to remember that despite the bureaucratic complexity, the courts in Israel usually stand by the converts and compel the state authorities to recognize conversions performed legally.

Ultimately, the decision to convert is a significant and personal step that requires commitment, faith, and willingness to face challenges, but also grants belonging and a new identity within the Jewish people.

If you would like to receive information and advice for your specific case, we invite you to schedule a consultation with us. You can leave your details here.

Links

Website of the State Conversion Authority in the Prime Minister's Office