Conversion Policy: Who is a Jew in Israeli Society?

Tani Frank, Director of Hartman's Center for Judaism and State Policy, discusses new conversion legislation in a conversation with journalist Yardena Schwartz.
Yardena Schwartz is a member of the inaugural cohort of the Hartman Seminar & Writers Workshop for Journalists and an award-winning freelance journalist and Emmy-nominated producer. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, TIME, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Columbia Journalism Review, Politico Magazine, the Forward, USA Today, and other publications. She has reported from Israel and the West Bank, Morocco, Nepal, Ukraine,

In the Jewish state, how do we balance religion and democracy? Israelis must navigate that tension to produce legislation on a range of topics that profoundly affect the lives of all citizens.

The Center for Judaism and State Policy at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem is leading the way: developing position papers shaped by Jewish values, advocating for legislation, and lobbying Israeli policy makers and legislators. Together, this work promises to shape the State of Israel into a more Jewish and more democratic country.

Conversion Policy: Who is a Jew in Israeli Society?

How does one become a Jew? The issue of conversion in Israel has significance beyond personal identity – it impacts a convert’s status in marriage registration, the status of one’s children, and even the location of one’s burial plot. And yet, Israel has no laws governing conversion. But that may soon change.

Tani Frank, Director of the Center for Judaism and State Policy,  discusses exciting new legislation and his plans to secure its passage despite intense opposition, in a conversation with journalist Yardena Schwartz.

We are grateful to the Triguboff Institute for their partnership and support of this work.

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The End of Policy Substance in Israel Politics