The amendment to the Law of Return expanded the automatically granted right to include children and grandchildren and non-Jewish souses. This amendment affected the large immigrant community from the former USSR and opened a real threat to assimilation.

The Law of Return grants Jews and their descendants the right to come and settle in Israel. The amendment opened the door to non Jews, this creating a special group of non Jews to come and settle in Israel.

In recent years we have been witnessing major social changes among the immigrant and on their attitude towards the country. In these new circumstances there are hundreds of thousands of non Jewish immigrants, who do not identify with Judaism and the country. This is essentially the beginning of a threat of assimilation.

This situation requires review of the conversion issue with related to the goal to sustain a Jewish state.

Until recently, assimilation and especially due to intermarriage has been challenging Jewish communities around the world but not is Israel. The large immigration from the former USSR has brought hundreds of thousands of mixed couples and non Jews into Israel. Non Jewish spouses are not rare anymore, and this creates a problem when the children are not considered Jews, unless if converted according to Halakha. A similar problem is resulting form the large number of Israeli youth travelling across the globe and sometimes “winning” local spouses.

In addition to assimilation, the state of Israel is facing a serious demographic threat.

Demographic experts are in agreement that by the year 2020 Israel will reach a non-Jewish majority. The primary factor lies within Arab-Jewish demographics and birth-rate. Yet assimilation has an accelerating role here as well. Yes. The state of Israel can lose its purpose due to demographic changes.

Many of today’s immigrant are not motivated towards conversion. The Ministry of Religious Affairs believes that with encouragement of coaching families, communities and rabbis it will be possible to create the awareness towards the issue. The plan is to allow coaching Israeli families much room to assist new immigrants who convert with finding their place in the community, synagogue, school and so on.

More information at Ministry of Religious Services

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