From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Ministers to vote on bill that would bar citizenship for non-Orthodox converts
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The Ministerial Committee on Legislation is slated to vote Sunday on a proposed amendment to the Law of Return proposed by Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman that would define conversion to Judaism — which offers eligibility for immigration — as that carried out “in accordance with halacha,” or Jewish religious law.
If passed into law, the proposal would invalidate the legitimacy of non-Orthodox conversions for the purposes of immigration and citizenship. In its explanatory notes, Rothman, who currently serves as the chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, states that his bill comes in response to a 2021 ruling by the High Court of Justice that people who convert to Judaism in Israel through the Reform and Conservative movements must be recognized as Jews for the purpose of the Law of Return, and are thus entitled to Israeli citizenship.
The justices, Rothman notes, specified that they had previously withheld issuing a ruling to allow the state to handle the matter, but the state had failed to do so. He asserts that changing the language of the law “expresses a return to the principles established by the founders of the state and is necessary for the unity of the Jewish people both in Israel and in the Diaspora.”
Non-Orthodox and liberal leaders condemn the bill.
“As is well known, the Reform and Conservative movements constitute the largest public among world Jewry, and even in Israel, the majority of Jews do not maintain an Orthodox lifestyle. Instead of supporting our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora who are facing antisemitic attacks, the Israeli government is slamming the door in their faces. Passing this law will lead to unprecedented consequences regarding Diaspora Jewry’s relationship with Israel,” declares Anna Kislanski, CEO of the Reform movement in Israel.
The Democrats MK Gilad Kariv, an ordained Reform rabbi, says, “Simcha Rothman and his associates aren’t content with the terrible destruction they’ve sown within Israeli society, and now they seek to restart the campaign of destruction within the Jewish people and to collapse the bridge between the State of Israel and Jews around the world.”
“Anyone with common sense must wonder aloud whether this group is being controlled by those who hate Israel,” he adds.
Last summer, lawmakers voted down another amendment to the Law of Return proposed by Noam MK Avi Maoz, which would have denied non-Jews the right to immigrate to Israel and automatically obtain citizenship even if they have a Jewish grandparent.
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