Letter signed by the Ga'on Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, with several corrections in his handwriting, on the subject of the "disgraceful law of the State of Israel concerning the matter of who is a Jew."
"For a long time now, ultra-Orthodox Jewry in general and the Rabbinical Assembly in particular have been standing in a difficult battle against the infamous law of the State of Israel concerning the matter of 'who is a Jew'?" Our society has invested much effort in this struggle, its time, its powers and its actions. Has not changed, and the disgraceful law has not been repealed."
In a letter to a large gathering in which rabbis from all over the Jewish world were expected to take part in a meeting against the above-mentioned law that "destroys the sanctity of the family in particular and the fundamentalities of religion in general, and puts in danger our Torah and our people."
The text of the letter was intended to invite various rabbis to participate in the event, and Rabbi Moshe Feinstein made a number of interesting corrections in his handwriting. In a line that talks about the law of 'who is a Jew' he added, ' And other infidels who uproot like this. ' In a number of places he replaced the word 'Conference' with the word 'meeting', and the 'singular' language that was originally written in the letter was changed by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein to the 'plural' (instead of 'I am honored' to 'we are honored'). Also on the margins of the letter he added an instructive line to his humility and circled: 'Perhaps it would be better to sign the 'Assembly Committee of the Assembly.' The definition of "who is a Jew" for the purpose of population registration under Israeli law has been a controversial issue during the years of the State of Israel's existence. Until 1970, the law did not address the question of who is a Jew, and the term "Jew" appeared without definition. The first legislators who came to define a total definition encountered the beginnings of controversy and preferred to avoid a decision. The result was the absence of a consistent and binding policy that led to questions that were raised by the registration officials and the Home Officers. On March 10, 1957, the Home Officer Yisrael Bar-Yehuda, issued directives to officials dealing with registration of nationality in the Population Registry, according to which "any person who declares in good faith that he is a Jew must be registered as a Jew ". These guidelines were the policy that had been implemented since the establishment of the State, and by virtue of which Jewish immigrants were registered even though according to Jewish law, there were no Jews. The Chief Rabbinate objected to the instructions and expressed its concern that this would encourage intermarriage and lead to the division of the nation.
Over the years, many heated discussions were held on the issue in the Knesset, And in Israeli public opinion, and the definition underwent various incarnations and changes in wording. On the one hand, secular parties sought to define that every adult would be registered as a Jew if he declared it in good faith as long as he is not of another religion. whereas the ultra-Orthodox parties sought to determine that the definition of who is a Jew would be subject to Jewish halacha, which states that only a son to a Jewish mother or a convert will be considered as a Jew. The meaning of the definition also relates to the Law of Return, registration in the population registry, and to the decision of the court regarding questions relating to the person's personal status, such as marriage, divorce, and Jewish burial.
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein [1895-1986] was among the greatest halachic in the period following the Holocaust, chairman of Agudat Yisrael's Council of Torah Sages in the United States and head of Mesivtha Tifereth Jerusalem in New York. He is also known for his series of books, Shu"t Iggerot Moshe. [1] Official paper 28x22 cm. Folding marks, fine condition.
