Clive Lawton

Clive Lawton is the executive director of Limmud, chair of development charity Tzedek and a former head teacher of King David high school in Liverpool. The 53-year-old is also a regular contributor to the Jewish News.

Where's The Humanity?

Friday 22nd 2005f July 2005

Mrs Sagal, a British woman who converted to Judaism in Israel more than a decade ago has been told by the London Beth Din that they do not recognise her conversion, so her son is not eligible to attend JFS.

Many have commented what a scandal it is that this family wishes to give the lad a Jewish education and it’s being prevented. But all I’ve seen is that they wish their child to attend JFS. That’s not the same at all. Many attending JFS emerge unscathed by the Jewish education and, of course, there are other reasons for attending - social and academic, for example. By Mrs Sagal’s own admission, she has no interest in upgrading either her or her son’s Judaic engagement.

I have seen a letter from Mrs Sagal protesting her Jewishness. She gives two examples – a seder she organised in her home in Tel Aviv more than a decade ago and her attending shul in Tel Aviv (also a decade ago?) on Yom Kippur. She also claims that on Chanukah, Purim and Succot her home gives evidence of Jewish behaviour. Clearly, in fact, the life she’s living in London is Israeli, not Jewish. Let’s not confuse the two. After all, I don’t think that everyone with a Christmas tree or an Easter egg is eligible for communion. The London Beth Din set the conversion bar improbably (but not impossibly) high and I’m sure that they have successfully deterred or deflected many sincere converts who have finally converted, often regretfully, in Israel or through non-orthodox channels. This is not an achievement to be proud of.

But I also agree with the Chief Rabbi’s assertion that the heart of Jewish conversion must relate to the broad assertions made by Ruth all those centuries ago – about adopting the ways of the people, the destiny of the people and our broad religious beliefs. While any old fool can be born a Jew, rather like any old fool can be a parent, when conversion or adoption becomes the issue those charged with the responsibility of supervising the process have a responsibility to ensure that those who are given the privilege of being a Jew or a parent should match up to the task. The Israeli chief rabbinate should feel ashamed of allowing under its auspices the scandalous sham Mrs Sagal found for herself.

But that was ages ago and the London Beth Din had misgivings about the conversion at the time of her son’s birth. And this is where a certain amount of humanity and humility should enter in.

When a car manufacturer discovers a fault, it recalls the potentially faulty cars and reviews them. If, however, it waits for crashes before doing anything, it becomes liable for anything that goes wrong. The Israeli chief rabbinate should have done the same as soon as they closed down this maverick beth din. If they didn’t recall all converts immediately, then the London Beth Din should have done so as soon as doubts surfaced.

Instead, they left it for years. At this point, some statute of limitations makes sense. The London Beth Din should accept the consequences of its sins of omission. They should, with great reluctance if they like, accept that Mrs Sagal’s process was absurd but also accept that, through their own fault, it is now too late to remove her Jewish status and so allow the conversion to stand.

I’m sure some will argue that this would result in one more flaky Jew joining the serried ranks of flaky Jews who already exist, but I can’t see that that makes much difference. But, by the dayanim accepting that their insufficiencies should result in they, rather than their victims, carrying the can, they might not once again have called the whole rabbinic process into disrepute.

The whole case shows an appalling lack of imagination, creativity, flexibility and humanity. I am sure some will be very proud of that.