I agree with you 300% — I have long predicted that eventually the Israeli rabbinate would begin invalidating even Orthodox conversions that involved interfaith couples.

Many articles in Israeli newspapers routinely attack interfaith families now, and openly express regret that the largely intermarried Russian Jews were ever allowed to make aliyah to Israel.

Most frighteningly to me, many of these anti-interfaith family comments are starting to come from non-Orthodox, secular Israelis and modern Orthodox Israelis, not just the haredi right-wing Israeli Jews.

Regarding the Jewish man in the couple being declared ineligible to remarry in Israel, that is truly bizzare. If his wife isn’t Jewish, and they have gotten a civil divorce, then it is my understanding that the marriage doesn’t count in the eyes of the Orthodox, no get (formal religious divorce decree) is necessary, and he should be allowed to remarry any Jew he wishes to.

But in the course of watching battles over “who is a Jew” in Israel over the last 20 years, I have learned that the supposedly immutable halachah (religious law) is twisted like a pretzel by some — not all — of the Israeli Orthodox, in an endeavor to get rid of interfaith families.

I wish to state that not all of the Israeli Jews are opposed to interfaith families. Organizations like the Association for the Protection of Mixed Families (in Israel) and IRAC (the Israeli Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism) are fighting tooth and nail for the rights of interfaith families in Israel.

I hope that anyone seeing this will consider giving money to the Association for the Protection of Mixed Families (in Israel) and IRAC.

Cordially,
Robin Margolis
www.half-jewish.net