Here is the Halachic analysis.
TEL AVIV, May 28, 1970 —The case of an American woman who converted to Judaism in 1967 poses a new problem for Premier Golda Meir's coalition Government.
The woman, the former Miss Helen McHenry of Maryland, is seeking to be enrolled in the state population registry as Jewish, but the National Religious party has threatened to leave the Cabinet if she is so classified.
Miss McHenry, who became Mrs. Helen Zeidman through a Mexican proxy marriage to an Israeli in 1967, was converted to Judaism later that year by three rabbis of the Circle for Progressive Judaism, a Reform group, in Tel Aviv.
The recognized rabbinate in Israel is Orthodox, and it does not recognize Reform conver sions. The National Religious party—which has three members in the 24‐member Cabinet —decided this morning to with draw from the coalition if Mrs. Zeidman is enrolled as a Jew and the authority of the rabbinate is thus questioned.
The dispute sharpened today when Attorney General Meir Shamgar told the High Court in Jerusalem that he would not challenge a writ obtained by Mrs. Zeidman calling upon the Minister of Interior to show cause why she should not be registered as Jewish.
Mr. Shamgar said that he had advised the Minister of Interior, Haim Moshe Shapira, to register Mrs. Zeidman in accordance with her request. The deadline for the Government's reply expired today.
If Mr. Shapira, who is leader of the National Religious party, does not comply with the Attorney General's recommendation, the High Court will presumably meet in a week or two and make Mrs. Zeldman's writ absolute.
If he decides that he has no choice but to register Mrs. Zeidman, the decision of his party's executive requires him and his colleagues to resign automatically from the Govern ment.
Justice Minister Yakov Shimshon Shapiro tried to avoid a Cabinet crisis by writing to Interior Minister Shapira and stating in effect that the regis tration of Mrs. Zeidman would not set a precedent.
Mrs. Zeidman's attorney had filed for the writ in the period between a High Court ruling that disputed a registrar's au thority to refuse to enroll a person according to his wishes and the Knesset action that in effect nullified the High Court ruling.
The ruling had been made in the suit brought by Corndr, Benjamin Shalit, who demand ed that his children be registered as Jews by nationality al though their mother was gen tile and they were not Jewish according to religious law.
The legislative amendment on March 10 said that only a person born of a Jewish mother or a person converted to Judaism could be registered as Jewish.
TEL AVIV, May 28, 1970 —The case of an American woman who converted to Judaism in 1967 poses a new problem for Premier Golda Meir's coalition Government.
The woman, the former Miss Helen McHenry of Maryland, is seeking to be enrolled in the state population registry as Jewish, but the National Religious party has threatened to leave the Cabinet if she is so classified.
Miss McHenry, who became Mrs. Helen Zeidman through a Mexican proxy marriage to an Israeli in 1967, was converted to Judaism later that year by three rabbis of the Circle for Progressive Judaism, a Reform group, in Tel Aviv.
The recognized rabbinate in Israel is Orthodox, and it does not recognize Reform conver sions. The National Religious party—which has three members in the 24‐member Cabinet —decided this morning to with draw from the coalition if Mrs. Zeidman is enrolled as a Jew and the authority of the rabbinate is thus questioned.
The dispute sharpened today when Attorney General Meir Shamgar told the High Court in Jerusalem that he would not challenge a writ obtained by Mrs. Zeidman calling upon the Minister of Interior to show cause why she should not be registered as Jewish.
Mr. Shamgar said that he had advised the Minister of Interior, Haim Moshe Shapira, to register Mrs. Zeidman in accordance with her request. The deadline for the Government's reply expired today.
If Mr. Shapira, who is leader of the National Religious party, does not comply with the Attorney General's recommendation, the High Court will presumably meet in a week or two and make Mrs. Zeldman's writ absolute.
If he decides that he has no choice but to register Mrs. Zeidman, the decision of his party's executive requires him and his colleagues to resign automatically from the Govern ment.
Justice Minister Yakov Shimshon Shapiro tried to avoid a Cabinet crisis by writing to Interior Minister Shapira and stating in effect that the regis tration of Mrs. Zeidman would not set a precedent.
Mrs. Zeidman's attorney had filed for the writ in the period between a High Court ruling that disputed a registrar's au thority to refuse to enroll a person according to his wishes and the Knesset action that in effect nullified the High Court ruling.
The ruling had been made in the suit brought by Corndr, Benjamin Shalit, who demand ed that his children be registered as Jews by nationality al though their mother was gen tile and they were not Jewish according to religious law.
The legislative amendment on March 10 said that only a person born of a Jewish mother or a person converted to Judaism could be registered as Jewish.
