Israel's Supreme Court orders recognition of private conversion court for Law of Return

Israel's Supreme Court ruled unanimously that conversions by the private court 'Ahavat HaGer', headed by Rabbi Chaim Amsalem, must be recognized for immigrant status under the Law of Return, rejecting the Population Authority's appeal.

This week, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that conversions conducted by the private court 'Ahavat HaGer', headed by Rabbi Haim Amsalem, must be recognized for the purpose of obtaining immigrant status under the Law of Return. In doing so, the High Court rejected the appeal of the Population and Immigration Authority, effectively determining that conversion no longer has to go through the Chief Rabbinate or the state conversion system to gain state recognition. The article describes this as a direct blow to the authority of the Chief Rabbinate, which for years was the sole body authorized to set the halakhic standard for conversion. It further claims that the ruling could open the door to a flood of lenient conversions, since recognition of one private court could lead to recognition of dozens more without uniform oversight.