Conversion Adam Kushner Conversion Adam Kushner

Converted to Judaism Outside of Israel: Practical Implications of the Pessaro Case for Aliyah Eligibility

When Alian Pessaro (later Goldstein) completed her Reform conversion to Judaism in the United States and sought to immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return, she could never have anticipated that her personal journey would ultimately reach Israel's Supreme Court and establish a landmark precedent that continues to shape the lives of thousands of converts seeking to make Aliyah.

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Legal Adam Kushner Legal Adam Kushner

Jewish by Birth but Not by Religion: Practical Implications of the Shalit Case for Aliyah Eligibility

When Benjamin Shalit, an Israeli naval officer, attempted to register his children as "Jewish" by nationality but with no religious affiliation in Israel's population registry in the late 1960s, he could hardly have anticipated that his case would trigger a constitutional crisis, lead to a landmark Supreme Court ruling, and ultimately reshape Israel's Law of Return.

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