Here is the scan of the statement of the Chief Rabbi from the Jewish
Chronicle 8.7.05
(I retreived this from usenet)

THE TORAH commands us to love the ger.


The word is usually translated as "stranger," but according to oral
tradition, it often means ger tzedek, the "righteous proselyte." We are
commanded to show special sensitivity to the convert. In the daily Amidah we
make special mention of "the righteous converts," praying that our lot be
cast with them. Converts bring special merit to our people.


In one of his responsa, Moses Maimonides was asked by a proselyte, Ovadiah,
whether as a convert he was allowed to say in his prayers, "Our God and the
God of our fathers," given that his parents were not Jews. Maimonides
answered in the .affirmative. A Jew may be the physical child of Abraham;
but a convert is one of his spiritual children. "Since you have come under
the wings of the divine presence and confessed the Lord," Maimonides
continues, "no difference exists between you and us... Do not consider your
origin as inferior."


Ruth's example


What is conversion? People often refer to the case of Ruth the Moabite,
whose story is told with such beauty in the book that bears her name. It is
from Ruth's reply to her mother-in-law Naomi that the basic principles of
conversion are derived. She said: "Where you go, I will go. Where you stay,
I will, stay. Your people will be my people, and your God my God."


That last sentence - a mere four words in Hebrew - defines the dual nature
of conversion to this day. The first element is an identification with the
Jewish people and its fate ("Your people will be my people"). The second is
the embrace of a religious destiny, the 90venant between Israel and God and
its commands ("Your God will be my God").


Both elements are necessary. That is what distinguishes conversion to
Judaism from Israeli citizenship. There are citizens of Israel who are
Christian, Muslim, Druze, Bedouin, Buddhist or Bahai. You don't have to be
Jewish to be an Israeli citizen, just as you don't have to be Christian to
be a British citizen (to be sure, there are differences in relation to
Israel's Law of Return, but that is not at issue here).


Citizenship in liberal democracies is a secular concept. Conversion, by
contrast, is irreducibly religious. That is what Boaz means when he says to
Ruth: "May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under
whose wings you have come to take refuge." It involves the adoption of a
religious way of life. Secular conversion to a religious identity is
logically impossible. .


The nature of this religious dimension can be summed up in two Hebrew words:
kabbalat hamitzvot, "acceptance of the commands." This can be construed
strictly or leniently. Conversion is an unusual case in which the rigour of
the law is left to the discretion of the court. But the condition exists,
how- Conversion""'" involve acceptance of the commands.


If a convert, by his or her behaviour, demonstrates a genuine commitment to
Jewish law and practice at the time of conversion, it remains valid even if
he or she later abandons it.


A lapsed convert is a lapsed Jew, not a lapsed gentile. If, however, there
was no significant religious observance- at the time; the conversion is
void. Acceptance of the commands is constitutive of conversion. Without it,
conversion cannot be said to have taken place.


Converting to Judaism is a serious undertaking, because Judaism is not a
mere creed. It involves a distinctive, detailed way of life. When people ask
me why conversion to Judaism takes so long, I ask them to consider other
cases of changed identity. How long does it take for a Briton to become an
Italian, not just legally but linguistically, culturally, behaviourally? It
takes time.


The analogy is imperfect, but it helps to explain the most puzzling aspect
of conversion today: the sometimes different standards between rabbinical
courts in Israel and Britain.


Several decades ago, an Israeli Chief Rabbi argued that Israeli rabbinical
courts should be more lenient than their counterparts in the diaspora. His
reasons were technical, but they make sense. It' is easier to learn Italian
if you are living in Italy. In Israel, many aspects of Jewish identity are
reinforced by the surrounding culture. Its language is the language of the
Bible. Its landscape is saturated by Jewish history. Shabbat is the day of
rest. The calendar is Jewish.


There is nothing problematic in differential standards per se. In the case
of conversion, the codes explicitly grant each beth din the right and duty
to exercise discretion in the light of local circumstance. For centuries,
this did not generate problems. What has changed is our vastly increased
geographical mobility. People move. A couple may meet in one country, get
married in a second, and live in a third. That is when local differences
create anomalies.


An individual has a right to know: am I Jewish or not? What happens when,
for whatever reason, standards in Israel are different from those in the
diaspora? That was the problem facing the Israeli chief rabbinate when it
instituted its new policy. One solution when the convert was not Israeli was
to stamp the conversion certificate with the words "Not valid outside
Israel." This led to absurd consequences.


A more effective rule was that Israeli courts would not convert a
non-Israeli unless the individual had been resident in Israel for 12 months
prior to the conversion. This was to avoid a situation whereby' individuals
from the diaspora could bypass the local court by going to Israel. People
naturally gravitated to the most lenient authority.


Ground Rules


The only way of ensuring .that conversions are universally recognised is to
establish ground-rules preventing individuals from exploiting differences
by' travelling to one place to obtain a certification to be used in another.
.


Conversion is .a. deeply serious undertaking. No individual can treat it
lightly, nor may


any religious court. There have been times when Jewish identity has been a
matter .of life or death ~ and not only during the Holocaust.


The Talmud says: "The prospective convert is told: 'Do you not know that
Israel at the present time are persecuted and oppressed, despised, harassed
and overcome by afflictions?'" This is less to discourage the candidate than
to be perfectly honest as to what the choice involves. Nor is conversion
affected by demographic considerations. Jews always have been a tiny people.
In the 17th century it has been estimated that there were only two million
Jews on earth. Today there are 100 Muslims for every Jew, and almost 200
Christians. Were Judaism predicated on the power of numbers, it might have
become a proselytising faith like Christianity or Islam. As a matter of
principle and history, it chose another way. It focused on spiritual, not
demographic, strength. Judaism does not seek converts. That is not because
it is exclusive but for the opposite reason: that it .does not believe you
have to be Jewish to have a share in heaven.


Tolerant faith


People often ask me how I can be tolerant toward other faiths, while at the
same time insisting on halachic standards for conversion. Not only is there
no contradiction between these two views. They are two sides of the same
coin.


Judaism is tolerant of other faiths precisely because it believes, in the
words of the sages, that "righteous gentiles have a share in the world to
come." There is no need to convert. Therefore it should only be undertaken
if the person is serious, sincere and fully understands the nature of the
commitment involved.


Judaism is a demanding faith. That is its beauty and strength. Many non-
Jews have told me how much they admire its love of family and community, its
dedication to charity and justice, its passion for education and the life of
the mind. I can understand why someone would wish to be part of this way of
life.


What is hard to understand is why someone would wish to acquire a car but
never use it; a suit but never wear it; a home but never live in it; a
religion but never practise it.


There are no short cuts to the blessings of faith, just as there are none to
physical health. Without exercise, sleep and a balanced diet, the body
languishes.


Without Shabbat and the festivals, kashrut and the family laws, the Jewish
spirit atrophies, and eventually dies.


A doctor, faced with a patient in poor health, would be irresponsible not to
tell him that his lifestyle must change. So would a rabbi who failed to say
the same to a prospective convert. To a non-Jew who wishes to convert, I
would say: "We welcome you with open arms. But you must understand what this
involves. It means keeping the laws that constitute our covenant with God.


"It means a change in identity and lifestyle. Being Jewish is not just a
privilege but also, and more so, a responsibility." "