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She converted during the pandemic. Israeli immigration officials say her Zoom course doesn’t count

JL;DR SUMMARY Isabella Vinci's application for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return was denied by Israel's Population and Immigration Authority due to her conversion process occurring primarily online during the COVID-19 pandemic. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish LawDiasporaReform JudaismCovid 19ImmigrationAliyahConversionBureaucracyNon Orthodox Judaism

Places mentioned

New York, United States
"A beit din, or rabbinic court, had approved her conversion after nearly a year of study with Rabbi Andrue Kahn at Temple Emanu-El, a Reform congregation in New York, including a congregational course and one-on-one meetings."
Netanya, Central District, Israel
"Within a year, she visited Israel on Birthright and returned on an immersion program to teach English in an Orthodox public school in Netanya."
Florida, United States
"Vinci grew up Catholic in a sprawling, multicultural family, spending early years in Florida and most of her childhood in Omaha, Neb."
Omaha, Nebraska, United States
"Vinci grew up Catholic in a sprawling, multicultural family, spending early years in Florida and most of her childhood in Omaha, Neb."
Manhattan, New York, United States
"When she moved to New York as an adult, she decided to become a Jew, going through Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan, one of the most prominent congregations of Reform Judaism."
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv District, Israel
"Vinci, 31, had to leave behind the life she had built in Tel Aviv and move back to the United States."
Kansas City, Missouri, United States
"After losing her legal status and appeal, Vinci returned to the United States. She took a legal-assistant job in Kansas City and is scraping together fees to file a court petition."

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Retrieved 2025-10-22 05:31:01 UTC
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