Translated Quote from an article by Menachem Rahat
Twelve years after it was established, the unit was decommissioned. In 1964, the undercover agents were ordered to say goodbye to their dual identity and Arab family. To the bachelors among them it was proposed to convert their Arab wives and continue their marriages. Those agents who were already married (to other women) would separate from their Muslim wives and would receive financial support from the State of Israel for their lifetime because of these marriages.
But who will tell the women about the tragedy they are in? It was decided that Samuel Moriah, then the Shabak representative in Paris, would invite the women to Paris under various conditions and reveal everything to them. “Your husband is a Jew.” The size of the women’s astonishment was beyond all expectation. Some fainted on the spot. In order to calm them down, Moriah assured them that anyone interested in this would be able to go through a quick conversion and become Jewish in accordance to religious law, and in any case, they would each receive generous financial support from the State of Israel throughout their lives, thanks to being “married to the Shabak.”
It should be noted:
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- A] Why marry Arabs and encourage assimilation? There was a better way to maintain state security.
- B] Why convert them? Converts are supposed to be men and women who believe in the foundations of Judaism and who have committed themselves, to be faithful to G-d and all his Torah. One should not convert a person for marriage, especially when there is no expectation that these Muslim women will be religious Jews after their conversion!
- C] Why was Rabbi Goren not afraid that his conversion was not a conversion even in retrospect and thus causing a stumbling block for Jews who really want to marry true Jews?
Shulchan Aruch, Y.D. Chapter 268 On the Laws of Conversion
Translated by https://www.sefaria.org.il/Shulchan_Arukh%2C_Yoreh_De’ah.268?lang=bi
- When a person comes to convert, say to him, “What did you see that motivated you to come to convert? If you know that Israel, in this time, that the Jewish people are oppressed, eroded, (The words are from “Why is your strong one overthrown?” -Jer. 46:15) insane, and suffering. If he says, I know this and I will still become a part of your people, receive him immediately and tell him the principles of the faith, that G-d is one and idol worship is forbidden, and tell him a lot about this, and teach him a few of the lighter mitzvot and a few of the more stringent mitzvot, and teach him about some of the punishments of the mitzvot, as it says, “Before you came to learn this, if you ate the forbidden fat, you would not be punished with excommunication, you transgressed Shabbat and you were not punished with stoning; but now, if you eat forbidden food, you will be punished with excommunication; and if you transgress Shabbat you will be punished with stoning.” Don’t say too much about this, and don’t get too specific either. And when you teach him about the punishment of the mitzvot, also teach him about the rewards of the mitzvot and teach him that in the doing of certain mitzvot that will merit life in the world to come. There isn’t a complete righteous person, rather a master of wisdom, that does the mitzvot and understands them. And say to him: “You should know that the world to come is hidden from the righteous, who are Israel. As for what you see that Israel is in distress in this world, because it is not granted them to receive the abundance of good things in this world like other peoples, lest their hearts should be indulged loftily and they should go astray and squander the reward of the world to come. But G-d didn’t bring to them too much destruction, so that they would not observe. Rather, all of the idolators stand. And you explicate this idea so that he feels the dearness of it. If he receives this, circumcise him immediately and wait until he is fully healed, and afterwards, immerse him without a barrier. (Some say that you cut or shave his hair and you cut his fingernails and his toenails before immersion.) And three learned scholars stand at his back and teach him some of the light mitzvot and some of the more stringent mitzvot a second time, and he stands in the water. And if it is a woman, women sit her in the water up to her neck and the beit din is outside and they teach her some of the easy mitzvot and some of the more stringent mitzvot and she sits in the water and afterwards, she immerses before them and they turn their faces and leave in order that they do not see her when she is getting out of the water, and they bless the immersion after she comes out of the water. And once he has immersed, it is as if he is a Jew, but if he goes astray, he is like an apostate Jew – he is still sanctified, and his marriage is sanctified.
- All matters of the convert from making known to them the mitzvot, receiving them, the circumcision and the immersion, it must be with three who are fitting to judge, and during the day. But after the fact if he only was circumcised or immersed at night or in front of *relatives [which is invalid], or even if one did not dunk with the intention of conversion, rather a man who dunked for a seminal emission, or a woman who dunked for menstruation, they are still converts and he is permitted to [marry] an Israelite woman. So this all applies to the immersion and the circumcision but it does not apply to receiving the mitzvot, which prevents [conversion] unless it was during the day and in front of three [witnesses]. However, the Rif and the Rambam [say that] even after the fact [one who] immersed or was circumcised before two [witnesses] or at night prevents [conversion], and [marrying] an Israelite woman is forbidden. But, if he is married to an Israelite woman and she has borne him a son, we do not invalidate him [the son].
- When a [potential] convert comes to convert check after him, perhaps it is because of money he took, or because of power she will gain, or because of fear that [the pontential convert] is coming to enter the religion. And if he is a man, check after him perhaps he placed his eyes on a Jewish woman. And if she is a woman, check after her perhaps she placed her eyes on the single men of Israel. And if you do not find to them [such] a cause, inform them of the weight of the yoke of the Torah, and the difficulty of fulfilling it on the nations of the world in order that [the potential converts] leave. If they accept and do not leave, and you see them that they are returning out of love, accept them. And if you did not check after him or you did not inform him of the rewards of the commandments and their punishments, and he was circumcised and immersed before three ordinary people, this is a convert. Even if you are informed that it is because of some thing (like those discussed above) that he converted, since he was circumcised and immersed he has left the category of Idol Worshippers (i.e. Non-Jews), and we are worried for him until his righteousness is clarified. And even if he returns and serves Idols, he is like an apostate Israelite that his marriages are marriages. [Rama]: An apostate Israelite that repents does not need to immerse. Just that rabbinically he should immerse and accept words of joining (strict observance) before three.
Comment: I do not believe Israel’s Chief Rabbinate even today long after the departure of Chief Rabbi Goren, is completely reliable on the issue of determining, who is a Jew.
Take for example, the 2 posts on this site
- Rabbi Jonathan Ziring’s Surprising Revelations About the Karaites and the Ethiopian-Falasha Community
- Knowing What We Know About Assimilation Rates of Reform Jews It is A Scandal That the Israel Chief Rabbinate Recognizes The Beta-Israel Falasha Community as Jewish Without Conversion
In addition, see also Bittul Geirut (Nullification of a Conversion) – Part Two by Rabbi Chaim Jachter
Footnote: *The Sefaria Translator incorrectly believed that the relatives mentioned in the Shulchan Aruch quote above, which I marked in red were relatives of the convert. But I looked up the Mordechai commentary, and it is talking about Rabbinic Judges who are relatives. It was too difficult (concerning time and research) for me to write a personal word for word translation for the Shulchan Aruch quotes, therefore the Sefaria translation was used.