Convertables

More fuss over conversion from Sephardic quarters. Converts to Orthodox Judaism in the U.S. are not being permitted to marry in Israel. This seems a bit odd--is Israel really beating off potential immigrants from America with a stick? I understand, but don't agree with, not allowing more lenient types of conversion to count, but I'd imagine converts to Orthodoxy mean business. Is a large Jewish population less important to Israel than one raised entirely by Jewish mothers?

The real reason for the link, however, is that I find it hard to believe there's really a "Rabbi Basil Herring," and that this isn't the work of a Britcom-crazed copy editor at Haaretz, but it turns out there is a rabbi with this name.