Michal Kravel-Tovi

This book reads like it may have originally been her PhD dissertation, but it's a worthwhile contribution to the literature on conversion nonetheless, because Dr. Kravel-Tovi takes an anthropological/ethnographic viewpoint rather than a religious one. As a secular Israeli Jew and an ethnographer, her concerns are not halakhic but about the operation of the conversion system and how the parties involved see their roles and interactions.

Israel's lack of separation of religion and state necessitates a dual role for the conversion system. On the one hand, it officially operates within the bounds of Orthodox halakha surrounding conversion and its procedures. However, it also performs a state role, particularly given the number of immigrants to Israel who have Jewish ancestry (or are connected via marriage) but are not Jewish under halakha. The Israeli state has taken upon itself the role of promoting and facilitating conversion to meet both the needs of individuals and the larger sociopolitical needs of the state.

The vast majority of prospective converts are from the FSU, and are largely women, reflecting Judaism's principle of matrilineal descent--women convert so their children will be Jewish. From the state's point of view, they also represent a demographic threat: both to Israeli Jewry in its own right, and also vis-a-vis the Palestinians. From the nationalist point of view, the pressure is to increase conversion and make it easier. The Orthodox interpretation of halakha, however, requires that a candidate demonstrate their acceptance of the commandments by adopting a religious lifestyle. This sets up a fundamental conflict in the system, which is then deepened: the converts themselves largely do not wish to live a religious life. They want to convert, but for the most part they see this in terms of group membership and confirmation of their own identity as Israeli Jews.

The effect is to force both those working in the conversion courts and those who use them to act out a performance. To a cynical eye, the process might seem to be fraudulent--an accusation by Haredi rabbis, who prize halakha and do not value the Zionist project. Dr. Kravel-Tovi doesn't see it that way, however. She perceives the teachers and converts to be sincere and knowingly navigating contradictory requirements. The Religious-Zionist teachers know their students will not become religious, but believe that conversion is still preferable. Faced with an apparent conflict between halakha and the Zionist project, their impetus is to make halakha fit the situation. The students are willing to pretend to be religious and perform their role in the play--but genuinely want to convert. The judges, too, know--and hence stick to matters of ritual performance.

Dr. Kravel-Tovi does a nice job of criticizing the system and yet being sympathetic towards those who work within it. Despite not having a background in anthropology (though, thankfully, I did read Goffman years ago) I was able to follow the theory. She's also careful to distinguish between the various streams of Judaism in Israel, and within the dati-leumi (Religious Zionist) world, between the more stringent and more liberal camps. As an American Jew, my view of conversion has been primarily individual (what does the Beit Din have the right to demand of the prospective ger) and secondarily communal (the effects of conversion or lack thereof in a society with frequent intermarriage). In the Israeli context, however, it is much more political--both because of the fusion of religion and state, and because of the Zionism question. Conversion is not merely a matter of the individual, or of their relationship to religious institutions or the Jewish community, but of the modern nation of Israel and its demographics, and that problem is quite bluntly stated by politicians.… (mais)