Please provide the location where I may obtain a list of US-based
Rabbis officially recognized by Israel to perform conversions to
Judaism abroad.

I understand from one source that even some conversion or reform (as
opposed to Orthodox Rabbis) are recognized for this purpose. If the
information designates those in this category then I will also tip.

Dear NMax888, 

Please do not see this information as a substitute of consulting with
a lawyer (read the disclaimer at the bottom of this page). However,
several recent Israeli Supreme Court decisions clearly acknowledge the
legitimacy of non-Orthodox conversions conducted in a recognised
Jewish community abroad. In other words: reform, conservative and
orthodox conversions would be all recognised. Convert (in the United
States) with any of the three you'd find the best for your religious
needs.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI)
Supreme Court Rules: Non-Orthodox Conversions are Valid 
<http://www.acri.org.il/english-acri/engine/story.asp?id=96> 

Read more at the Jewish Agency page: 
Cobversion Law
<http://www.jafi.org.il/ph/conv.htm> 

Contacts: 
========
Orthodox Rabbies in America:
 Rabbinical Council of America - Contact Us 
<http://www.rabbis.org/contact_us.cfm>  

Progressive ("Reform") Judaism
Congregation Lister by Country (USA)
<http://wupj.org/about/congregation-lister.html?country=1&submit=Go> 

Conservative Judaism
 United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 
Find a Synagogue
<http://www.uscj.org/Affiliated_Congregat5493.html> 

Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
Directory of Congregations
<http://www2.jrf.org/cong/directory-all.php> 

I hope this answers your question question. To learn more about the
different currents of Judaism, go to Wikipedia:

Orthodox Judaism
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Judaism> 

Conservative Judaism
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Judaism> 

Reform Judaism
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_Judaism> 

Reconstructionist Judaism
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstructionist+Judaism> 

Please contact me if you need any clarification on this answer before you rate it.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by nmax888-ga on 15 May 2005 03:14 PDT

I am going to rate this one at the maximum rating.

However, there are some important follow-on questions I have -- do you
want to answer these for a tip, or can you tell me how to make them as
separate questions with reference to this one after closing this one
out?

1) What is the fastest advertised conversion, that seems to be
legitimate or recognizable?
2) Are there any conversions online or at a distance for people who
are not living in a fixed location (i.e. global managers, consultants,
etc.)
3) Most importantly, which conversions are recognized for purposes of
the Law of Return? (Here I mean -- Israel has said that Jews have an
immigration right to its country. Do all conversions automatically
convey that right, or must they be a special type of conversion, or
meet other criteria.)

---

Clarification of Answer by politicalguru-ga on 15 May 2005 06:42 PDT

Dear NMax888, 

I am not sure that there is an answer to (1), but I guess that would
be the reform conversion, if any. It also depends on your purpose.

The Law of Return enables the immigration into Israel not only of
people who are Jews, but also for their spouses, their children and
their grandchildren(!). A "Jew" is defined as someone who has got a
Jewish mother, or that has converted in an acknowledged conversion.
All three (or four, if you consider Reconstructionist) conversions are
acknowledged for that purpose, if done in a congregation that is one
of these federations.

However, in order to convert, one must be a member of a congregation.
It is quiet possible that you'll be able to find a Rabbi, that - after
explaining your situation - would give you most of the study material
to go through when travelling. However, you'd probably still have to
have an "anchor" in one community or another.

Comprehensive and clear answers.

Thank you for the rating and the tip.