Israel’s Attorney General Claims Restrictive Mikveh Bill Violates Basic Rights
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
JERUSALEM (JTA) — A bill that would bar Conservative and Reform conversions from public ritual baths violates Israeli constitutional law, the country’s attorney general said.
On Sunday, Avichai Mandelblit submitted a legal opinion to the government in which he said the bill violates several basic rights, including to freedom of religion, human dignity and equality, Haaretz reported. The bill passed a first reading in the Knesset last week.
The haredi Orthodox United Torah Judaism faction proposed the measure, which has received support from the haredi Shas party and some members of the religious Zionist Jewish Home party.
The measure aims to override a Supreme Court decision in February mandating that the ritual baths, or mikvahs, be open to Conservative and Reform conversions. Along with prohibiting that practice, the bill also may require that women immerse under the supervision of a mikvah attendant to ensure it is conducted according to Orthodox Jewish law.
Changes likely will be made to the bill before it is brought to the Knesset for its second and third readings.
In its current state, the bill even if it passed would likely be struck down by Israel’s Supreme Court.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
