Anti-missionary organization Yad L'achim on Thursday appealed to MKs to block legislation that would enable non-Jewish families to adopt Jewish children. The law was proposed by Yesh Atid MK Adi Koll. Allowing such adoptions, said Yad L'achim, would basically be an endorsement by the Knesset of assimilation.

The law is part of a general reform of adoption laws proposed by Koll designed to give equal opportunity to all Israelis to adopt children.

Such a law, said Yad L'achim officials, would be “a terrible blow for the Jewish people. Daily we come across cases of Muslim families that try to wrest away from their Jewish mothers children born to a Muslim father.” In Islamic law, such children are considered Muslims, while according to Jewish law, they are Jewish.

“Unfortunately they sometimes succeed, although we fight every case in which the Muslim family is awarded such a child. But with this law will provide a perfect excuse for the courts to rule in favor of the Muslims in all cases.” Implementation of such a law “will have unseen and unfortunate consequences for the Jewish people,” Yad L'achim said.

Calling the law “absurd,” Yad L'achim said that “it is unbelievable that at a time the government is pouring millions into sponsoring programs like Birthright (Taglit), whose purpose is to prevent assimilation and intermarriage, it would legitimize assimilation in Israel,” the organization said. “Even in cases where parents are supposed to give up children for adoption, how can any of us dare to rip Jewish children away from their religion and heritage, and hand them offer to a foreign culture? Is this for 'the good of the child,' the criteria that courts are supposed to follow when dealing with children?”