September 7, 2010 / 28 Elul 5770

Chairman of the Jewish Agency Natan Sharansky to senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office: State Attorney’s office’s remarks were  “negligent and irresponsible”.

Conversions of IDF soldiers through the “Nativ” program are completely valid.

Chairman of the Jewish Agency Natan Sharansky spoke yesterday evening with a senior official at the Prime Minister’s Office and strongly protested the negligent and irresponsible remarks made by a  representative of the State Attorney’s office in a session of the High Court of Justice yesterday, remarks implying that the conversions of the IDF soldiers are questionable.  “The  conversion of IDF soldiers in the framework of the “Nativ” program of the IDF Chaplaincy is a completely valid conversion, approved by Rabbi Haim Druckman, head of the State Conversion Authority and by the Chief Rabbi of Israel”, said Sharansky. 

The “Nativ” program is run by the Institute of Jewish Studies and the IDF Education Corps and is sponsored by the Government of Israel and the Jewish Agency.  “It is the biggest achievement of conversion efforts in Israel, and the Jewish Agency will continue to support it together with the government”, stated Sharansky.  Jewish Agency Chairman Sharansky calls on all the parties involved to behave responsibly on this sensitive issue which affects thousands of people and is crucial for their integration among the Jewish People.