The Stakes in This Israeli Election Just Got Bigger
Benjamin Netanyahu wants to keep his allies happy, but a Supreme Court ruling on Jewish conversions makes that harder.
His bargain.
Photographer: Amir Levy/Getty Images EuropeIn an 8-to-1 ruling last week, Israel’s Supreme Court decided that conversions to Judaism carried out in Israel by non-Orthodox Jewish denominations are legal. The controversial case had been before the court for 15 years, waiting for the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to pass a clarifying law on the matter.
The ruling, as Noah Feldman described, goes straight to the heart of Jewish identity and Israel’s foundational Law of Return. The politicians preferred to kick this politically explosive can down the road. Ultimately, the court lost patience. It also took a measure of revenge on the recalcitrant legislators by issuing its decision just three weeks before the March 23 election.