In anticipation of Tisha B'Av, President Reuven Rivliln, in partnership with The Jewish People Policy Institute, held a joint study session at the President's Residence under the title "Recall what happened to us ..."
During the event, Rivlin addressed an incident that occurred earlier in the day when one off the study event speakers, Conservative Rabbi Dov Hayoun was detained by the police for presiding over non-Orthodox weddings.
"In the Book of Lamentations there is more than pain over destruction, there is also a lesson and there is also hope," said Rivlin. "The complete process of lamentations reminds us of the past, examines our sins, because after all this, G-d actually urges us not only to learn a lesson, but also to expect ourselves to choose another path next time. Not only pain and loss is lamented it must contain the possibility of rebirth, the possibility of it being better.
The president added that "It is our responsibility to create hope - we must always look further, beyond the laments over the past, beyond the disagreements and hatred.
"The incident that is taking place here today is not self-evident, since one of the participants in the incident came to us from a police investigation on a subject that was not dealt with for many years, and whose sudden handling provokes a storm," he said. "In any event, we have a heavy responsibility to find the tools and the language to solve the problem. The differences between us, so sensitive, not only within the court, not only in legislation, and not only in enforcement, we have come here to speak - and we must continue to talk, find the solutions, find the creative ways that honor us all, our history, Jewish polemic. "
The event was held in cooperation with the Institute for Jewish People Policy, during which a joint study session was held with the Head of the Har Etzion Hesder Yeshiva Rabbi Yaakov Medan, Head of the Bible Department at the Hebrew University, Prof. Nili Vazana, Rabbi of Moriah Community in Haifa and Director of Midreshot Shechter Rabbi Dov Hayoun and Head of the Israeli Rabbinical Beit Midrash Union College, Talia Avnon-Benveniste.
The featured speakers at the event were Chairman of the Jewish Agency Executive Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Jewish Agency Executive Isaac Herzog and Director of the Institute for Jewish People Policy, Avinoam Bar-Yosef.
Haiyun had been roused out of bed by the police and questioned on suspicion of an offense under section 7 of the Marriage and Divorce Ordinance, which prohibits private marriage and divorce, and establishes a two-year prison term for marriage or divorce without registration.
The arrest had caused outrage across Israel, and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit ordered the investigation halted. The Rabbinate said that it had pressed for Haiyun's arrest after he had married a 'mamzer', or the product of an adulterous marriage forbidden by Jewish law.
Haiyun contended, however, that he had checked the couple's background and had decided that nothing in Jewish law forbade them from marrying each other, adding that the rabbinate agreed after conducting a subsequent probe.