All will agree that much has been written, in this paper and the secular press, about the issues surrounding conversion and the mikvah part of the process as revealed in the story pertaining to the Georgetown synagogue (“Doubt, questions plague Freundel converts,” WJW, Oct. 23).
I wonder why not one of the reporters has reported on the conversion process and the Beit Din after the mikvah ceremony of the Conservative and Reform movements in our community and nationally. These movements convert many more candidates for conversion (perhaps, 10 times the number of Orthodox converts).
Many more men and women are involved in the conversion by Conservative and Reform Rabbis, providing an open, transparent method, not under the control of one rabbi, and also supported by Halacha. Reporters could have interviewed more than 100 rabbis in the D.C. area to learn about their fair, open, noncoercive, nonintimidating process of conversion or interviewed the mashgicha of the mikvah at Adas Israel, a safe, private and modern facility used by the Rabbinical Assembly (Conservative) for its completion of conversion. The positive and beneficial handling of this important and holy milestone in most instances could have been documented and favorably portrayed.
RABBI MARVIN BASH, Ph.D
Arlington
