This article brings up a very interesting question and addresses something that does not settle well with me in regards to Israel. I could not imagine having to prove to a court of Orthodox Rabbis that I am in fact Jewish.
In some ways, I think that the idea of having to prove your Jewish identity in order to be married in Israel can be a good thing. It promotes the advancement and growth of the Jewish people. But at the same time I think that many people, including myself, may feel like they are not welcome in Israel because of their background. The fact that the clergy members I grew up looking up to, learning from, and being inspired by are not considered to be Rabbis in my "religious homeland" is a bit unsettling to me. The thought of making aliyah is almost completely out of the question for me at the moment, simply because I know that my religious choices and practices are not recognized by the Israeli government.
Overall, my question is... how "Jewish" is this concept of making one prove that they are "Jewish enough" to have their marriage recognized or to live in the land of Israel? What every happened to the mitzvah of welcoming the stranger?
I hope this blog entry made sense to someone. I wish I could better put into words how I feel about this whole idea, but I am at a loss at the moment.
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