Although Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu removed his support from a conversion bill that would allow local Israeli rabbis to conduct their own conversions, a bill decentralizing control over conversions passed to the second stage reading toward approval. Netanyahu opposed the bill, hoping it would shore up his government by placating Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas and Agudah parties. Both Chief Rabbis, Rabbi David Lau and Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, are against the bill and said they would not recognize those conversions, should they take place.

The bill had been passed in June, but the opposition added 38 amendments to it, and every amendment was voted down. Last week, the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee approved it by a vote of 6 to 5. The bill was sponsored by Hatnua.

If it passes, as many as 30 courts made up of municipal rabbis would be created to perform conversions. Currently there are 33 rabbis and four conversion courts. Rabbi Seth Farber, director of the ITIM Jewish Advocacy Center, who helped draft the bill said, “We are pleased that, in the end, the lawmakers were able to see beyond the politics and reach out to potential converts in a positive way. Each day, hundreds of individuals who made aliyah as Jews and aren’t recognized as Jews by the rabbinate are being alienated by the Jewish State. This bill provides them a small glimmer of light.”