Lubavitcher Confronts Silent Infiltration of Fake Conversions

In recent years, thousands of fake conversions have quietly taken root across Eretz Yisroel and abroad. Under the guise of halacha and nationalism, millions are poured into efforts bypassing authentic halachic standards, magnifying the very issues the Rebbe warned about decades ago. Young Lubavitcher rov, Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Nisselvitch, is confronting the issue head-on.

By Anash.org writer

In recent years, there has been a growing influx of non-Jews into Eretz Yisroel, many of whom are assimilating into the Jewish people (r”l) through various means. Political actors and certain organizations, under the guise of “redemptive missions” and even so-called “halachic conversions,” are converting thousands in processes that are not only misleading but completely fraudulent and deceitful. What the Rebbe began fighting 55 years ago – pouring thousands of painful hours into the battle known as Mihu Yehudi – is, unfortunately, still ongoing and worsening as of this writing.

This breakdown didn’t begin overnight. Over five decades ago, in 5730 (1970), the “Shalit Affair” erupted when an Israeli naval officer demanded that his children – born to his non-Jewish Swedish wife – be officially registered as Jews. The Supreme Court ruled 6–5 in his favor, sparking a political crisis. To preserve the coalition, the Knesset amended the Law of Return. Clause 4a – the “Grandchild Clause” – was added, allowing even non-Jewish grandchildren of Jews to immigrate. Though not registered as Jews, their arrival opened the door to widespread assimilation and pressure for mass, often non-halachic, conversions. 

At the same time, Clause 4b, which defines who is a Jew, was also changed. The original draft defined a Jew as “someone born to a Jewish mother or who has converted according to Halacha.” But at the last minute, the words “according to Halacha” were deliberately removed to allow recognition of Reform and Conservative conversions. In response, the Rebbe launched a worldwide campaign to restore the phrase “according to Halacha” to the law, warning that without this safeguard, the gates of the Jewish people would be breached, flooding the nation with non-Jews falsely registered as Jews.

Sadly, in the years that followed, the problem did not go away and has only worsened. In recent years, the overwhelming majority of those arriving in Eretz Yisroel are non-Jews, and the proportion of Jews in Israel is shrinking. According to the data, the war in Ukraine, which began over three years ago, led to a historic peak in non-Jewish immigration to Israel. Last year, the Supreme Court even expanded the “Grandchild Clause,” ruling that a non-Jewish widow of a non-Jew who was the son or grandson of a Jew is also eligible for Law of Return rights and may immigrate to Israel. Of course, with multitudes of non-Jews entering the country, assimilation is becoming increasingly problematic; however, this is still just the tip of the iceberg.

Even after arriving in Israel, many non-Jews are being offered conversions that do not follow Halacha (r”l). This is driven by efforts to ease social integration and encourage immigration. Since it’s difficult to convince non-Jews to immigrate – knowing they face social stigma and restrictions like limited marriage options – massive significant funds have been invested to make conversion more accessible. The state treats promoting conversion as a national goal, with the Knesset and government pushing to increase conversions and spending tens of millions of shekels annually on these programs.

Consequently, some individuals and “rabbis” have been pushing to loosen conversion standards, viewing it as a national necessity to reduce assimilation. They argue that without converting these non-Jews, assimilation will only worsen. They believe every effort must be made to convert them and have frequently attacked opponents, accusing them of indifference to the assimilation threat. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, and these “conversions” only perpetuate the problem of assimilation.

About fifteen years ago, they began promoting the concept of an ‘Israeli conversion’ or ‘traditional-national conversion.’ They claimed that even if a non-Jew had no intention of keeping basic mitzvos like Shabbos or taharas hamishpocha, the conversion could still be valid retroactively. They argued it was acceptable to settle for someone agreeing to live like most Israelis – having a bris, acknowledging most yomim tovim, and serving in the army. According to these proponents, it’s enough if the non-Jew behaves like most Israelis to validate the conversion.

Over the years, this approach expanded into a second, more extreme form adopted by liberal “rabbis” and groups. They argued that conversion is valid even if the non-Jew simply identifies as an “Israeli Jew” and is aware that Jews have mitzvah obligations – without actually accepting or practicing them. These groups backed their claims with purported halachic reasoning, combined with a newly developed ideology framing mass conversion as a “national and redemptive mission,” aimed at preserving the Jewish majority and fulfilling the Zionist vision of ingathering exiles as part of ‘geulah.’

In recent years, these views have gained support from Israel’s Supreme Court, which has promoted this lenient approach in practice. In addition, some are now claiming it is possible to convert tens of thousands of minors who are educated in secular institutions with no commitment to keep mitzvos.

On top of all this, new halachic challenges have emerged in recent years due to advances in modern medicine.

Many were shocked recently by a scandal in Israel where two fetuses were accidentally swapped at a medical center, a case that reached the courts. Today, technologies like surrogacy can result in children who, despite having a Jewish birth mother, still require conversion according to halacha. If these children are not properly converted, it opens a dangerous door to intermarriage and assimilation.

To address all of these critical concerns, Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Nisselvitch – a maggid shiur at Yeshivas Lubavitch of Antwerp, a longtime expert on Halachic conversion, and a member of the International Rabbinical Committee for Conversion – wrote a groundbreaking two-volume work titled Hamavdil Bein Yisrael La’Amim. Published by the Rabbinical Center of Europe, these over 2,000 pages comprehensively organize the entire topic of Halachic conversion, incorporating the Rebbe’s many sichos over the years and addressing new contemporary claims with thorough halachic analysis. 

For the first time, the books bring together sources from Gemara, Rishonim, and leading poskim – including contemporary authorities from all communities, along with letters from prominent rabbinic figures, to clearly establish the proper halachic path for conversion and refute recent distortions on an issue that directly affects the future of the Jewish people.

In a conversation with Anash.org, Rabbi Nisselvitch explained that previous responses to these challenges have been fragmented and weak, often dismissed as impulsive protests. The books feature an extensive historical chapter outlining how the frum opposition to lenient conversions is rooted in longstanding tradition, not personal inflexibility. The second volume further addresses halachic complexities arising from modern medical advances, ensuring the topic remains relevant and comprehensive for today’s challenges.

“Generally, conversion involves three parts: bris milah, mikva, and acceptance of mitzvos – but the essence and most important aspect of geirus is the third,” explains Rabbi Nisselvitch. “This, of course, doesn’t mean a ger must know all of Shas before converting, but they must genuinely commit to keeping mitzvos.”

“Rabbi Moshe Feinstein once explained that it’s like naaseh v’nishma, that the Yidden declared at Har Sinai – a ger must wholeheartedly accept to do, even before fully understanding. This is not, as some try to portray it, a debate among fringe or modern rabbis; it’s a well-established halacha from earlier generations. Kabbalas hamitzvos is an inseparable part of conversion and cannot be waived.”

In the words of the Rebbe, in a letter to a doctor dated 11 Tammuz 5744 (1984):

“A ‘cosmetic’ or ‘plastic’ conversion is, obviously, no solution to a seriously minded person, and even more abhorrent to an honest person. A true geyrus has to be such as to transform a non-Jew into a Jew, with a new Jewish Neshomo, like a newborn Jew of Jewish parents. Such a geyrus is one that is carried out in strict accordance with the Halachah; anything less is only a sham and a mockery.

“The Halachah is very clear in its insistence that the would-be convert honestly and wholeheartedly accepts all the Mitzvos. Accepting all but one of the Mitzvos automatically invalidates the conversion, and the non-Jew remains a non-Jew exactly as before. Of course, it is possible to mislead a Rabbi or Rabbinic court by declaring one’s readiness to accept all the Mitzvos; but one cannot mislead the Creator who is the One who imbues the Neshomo.”

One of the Rebbe’s most timely sichos about “Mihu Yehudi” was delivered this very week, 54 years ago, on Shavuos 5731 (1971). The Rebbe requested that the sicha be translated into Hebrew and widely distributed in Eretz Yisrael, and he personally edited the translation.

The Rebbe explains that Naomi’s rejection of her daughter-in-law Orpah – despite Orpah’s willingness to leave comfort to join the Jewish people – was not cruelty but clarity. Naomi foresaw the disaster of a “paper conversion.” While both Rus and Orpah wished to convert, only Rus sincerely accepted all mitzvos and was accepted. Naomi rejected arguments about needing more strength or numbers, insisting on full, sincere acceptance of all 613 mitzvos, something that Orpah’s conversion lacked.

The Rebbe adds that had Orpah been accepted, her son Goliath – a sworn enemy – might have become a “fifth column,” a hidden threat inside Eretz Yisroel. Naomi’s insistence on true halachic conversion protected the Jewish people from spiritual danger.

Rabbi Nisselvitch the concludes conversation with an important message:

“As we come from Shavuos, the Yom Tov of geirim, it is our duty to stand firm and prevent the blurring of boundaries between Jews and non-Jews under the cover of nationalism or mistaken halachic claims. With Hashem’s help, we will be worthy to witness the full gathering of Am Yisrael – including the lost and scattered – in the true and complete geulah through Moshiach.”