Chief Rabbinate Has Improper Influence on American Aliyah
from The Jerusalem Post:
Sharansky: More converts should be able to immigrate
Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky intends on Tuesday morning to suggest to the organization’s Unity of the Jewish People Committee that the agency identify those Diaspora communities whose converts can immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return.
Current policy at the Interior Ministry, as spelled out in an internal document from 2008, stipulates that the head of the relevant religious community in Israel advise the ministry on the validity of a candidate’s suitability for citizenship.
This is fairly straightforward for non-Orthodox Jews who converted abroad. However, the Chief Rabbinate does not recognize all Orthodox conversions performed abroad, and the Interior Ministry has been refusing to grant these converts citizenship.