Israeli Parliament to Hold Special Hearing on Barred Venezuelan Jews r

Israel's parliamentary Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs will hold a special hearing on Tuesday on the government’s decision to bar a group of nine Venezuelan converts from immigrating to Israel. The decision, first reported in Haaretz, has sparked widespread outrage in the Jewish world, with prominent rabbis, representing denominations across the spectrum, urging the government to reverse it. The nine Venezuelans – five adults and four children – were converted by a Conservative rabbinical court in early 2014, before the economic crisis in Venezuela erupted. They are currently facing shortages in food and medicine. More...