Many people give little thought to the issue of conversion, and the challenges that people who convert face. In contrast, Rabbi Chuck Davidson, a leader in establishing non-coercive Orthodox alternatives to Israel’s’ Chief Rabbinate for over a decade and the av beit din of an independent conversion court, has spent years researching the halachic background of conversion. In this episode, Scott and Rabbi Davidson address the debate over the halachic requirements for conversion, what is being done in the Israeli Chief Rabbinate about the 500,000 people in Israel who are sociologically Jewish but not halachically Jewish, the argument between Rav Ovadia Yosef and Rav Elyashiv about whether people whose Jewish lineage is unclear should be assumed to be Jewish or not, the social problems that many converts face, the question of which beit din - if any - provides conversions that are universally accepted, retroactive invalidation of conversion, whether a rabbinic court should be welcoming or discouraging to potential converts, and much more.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more - we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Check out https://jewishcoffeehouse.com/ for the Orthodox Conundrum and other great podcasts, and remember to subscribe to them on your favorite podcast provider. Also visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

Music: "Happy Rock" by bensound.com