“Going off the deep end” is one of the things we say when people act differently from what we want. We also say they’re “sick” or “evil” or that they have “betrayed” us.<\/p>\n
In reality, different people have different interests. “Betrayal” is simply a hyperbolic way of noting that someone has acted differently what we expected.<\/p>\n
If an Israeli religious court rejects my Orthodox conversion, it’s not because they’ve gone off the deep end. It’s because they are acting out their own values and their own understanding of Torah.<\/p>\n
In Jewish and Muslim history, the rigorists usually win out. <\/p>\n
I didn’t convert to Judaism expecting the easy way. If somebody wants an easy life, they should not convert to Judaism. Stiff requirements for conversion are warranted as it seems like half the people who convert to Orthodox Judaism end up leaving it and why should Jews accept people with a 50% batting average?<\/p>\n
All religions different from your own will likely seem crazy at best and evil at worst. Haredi Judaism is very different from live and let live Sephardic Judaism. Modern Orthodoxy and Reform Judaism are like different religions. Chabad and mainline Orthodox Judaism are like different religions. The other guy will usually look like someone going off the deep end. <\/p>\n
In the end, “crazy” is not a useful explanation. It’s better to delve into the other side’s values and learn why they act as they do. <\/p>\n
David Suissa writes<\/a>: <\/p>\n Why would a rabbinic court in the world\u2019s only Jewish state do something that would blatantly turn off most of the world\u2019s Jews? “Going off the deep end” is one of the things we say when people act differently from what we want. We also say they’re “sick” or “evil” or that they have “betrayed” us. In reality, different people have different interests. … Continue reading
\nThat\u2019s what I asked myself today when I read that Israel\u2019s top religious court rejected the validity of a woman\u2019s conversion from one of the leading lights of American Orthodoxy, Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, rabbi emeritus of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in New York City.
\nThis is taking chutzpah and arrogance to another level.
\nIt\u2019s one thing when Charedi rabbinic courts routinely offend and reject non-Orthodox streams of Judaism, which is bad enough. But to go against a hard-core, bona fide and beloved Orthodox rabbinic leader?
\nHow could they be so tone deaf?
\nBut wait, it gets worse. This latest decision was on appeal, which means it\u2019s the second time the court has rejected this woman\u2019s conversion. Apparently, they weren\u2019t too moved by the outrage that followed the initial decision.
\nAfter that first decision, the Jewish Federations of North America released a statement saying that the \u201cdenial of the legitimacy of this convert, who has embraced the Jewish People and undertaken to live a full Jewish life, undermines that fundamental principle (of accepting the convert). Moreover, the Bet Din\u2019s rejection of one of America\u2019s leading Orthodox rabbis is an affront to the country\u2019s entire Jewish community.\u201d
\nMeanwhile, the Rabbinical Council of America, the largest U.S. group of Orthodox rabbis, expressed \u201cregret [at] the angst caused to this righteous convert, as well as the vulnerability felt by many righteous converts who feel that their legitimate status as Jews remains always subject to scrutiny.\u201d
\nAfter the latest decision, Rabbi Seth Farber, who runs the activist group ITIM, released a statement saying that \u201cthe rabbinical court has humiliated Nicole, cast a shadow over tens of thousands of conversions around the world, and has created a crisis of confidence between diaspora Jewry and Israel\u2019s government.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"