Yehezkel Schiff is President of Jewish Family Forever; jewishfamilyforever.org
Naftali’s Bennett’s Beyachad Party’s platform demands civil marriage for all and a blanket ban on “traditional life path" therapy, otherwise known as conversion therapy. Both of these have the potential to destroy the traditional Jewish family, the foundation of our faith. While civil marriage looks like a compassionate idea; after all love is love, one need only look at the US and the west to see how traditional marriage and the family have unraveled as a result.
With regard to conversion therapy, recent meta-studies have shown how it has had the opposite impact. “Traditional life path therapy," for those who want to pursue it, has shown quite positive impacts in significantly reducing depression, substance abuse, and suicide contemplation and other mental health challenges. (American Thinker, “Conversion Therapy Needs to be Encouraged, Not Banned.") The party will likely demand these items from his platform be included in order to join a coalition. Ten years ago, Bennett opposed civil marriage, today he supports it and a blanket ban on talk therapy for anyone who might want to return to a Torah true traditional life path. He can return to his original path if he is brought to realize the implications.
Civil marriage allows for gay marriage and even polyamorous arrangements as we can see in the US. The data on the outcome for children from gay marriages on a number of mental health measures shows significant issues for these children. (“Sex Differences in Reported Effectiveness and Psychosocial Effects of Therapy-Assisted Sexual Orientation Change," Dr. Paul Sullins, May 2026). It is easy to understand why as gay unions have much higher alcoholism and drug use rates (NIH, “Sexual Orientation Differences in Alcohol Use Disorder Across the Adult Life Course"), significantly higher incidents of intimate partner violence, include multiple partners even in committed relationships (males), etc.
It follows that children who grow up in these environments will often have more challenges. Simply: children need stability and children need a mother and a father.
Then there is the Torah. Proper sexual behavior is a Noahide law applicable to all of humanity. There is a midrash (Bereshit Rabbah 26:7) that says God destroyed the world with the flood because of marriage certificates being issued for men to marry each other. We read this law at the holiest day of the year at the holiest time of day.
Regarding therapy, let’s start with the myth of LGBTQ immutability, because it isn’t. There are five times as many former lesbians as current. For men, almost half as many as current have found their way to a traditional path. (SSRN, How Many Homosexual Desistors Are There in the US?). LGBTQ for almost all those self-identifying today is likely a social contagion. Otherwise why are almost 30% of gen z women in the US self-identifying a s LGBTQ? Ivy League schools have even higher percentages for both sexes.
Thankfully Israel’s current Health Ministry leadership is not enforcing the ban on talk therapy that Bennett’s last government installed. Most people who identify as LGBTQ find their way back to a traditional path, (usually through a stronger connection to God), do so without therapy. Yet for many, counseling helps.
Teaching children, they have no option is the antithesis of the Torah value of free will. The Rebbe (Menachem Mendel Schneerson ztl) taught otherwise and empowered individuals. Having traditional life path therapy available for those who seek it is true compassion.
The traditional family is the very foundation of our faith. God warns us that He will spew us out for this sin (Vayikra 20:22). Civil unions mean anything goes. In the US this has led to the transgender movement, the furry movement (species dysphoria) and all kinds of alternative lifestyles. We must reject Beyachad’s agenda in this regard when talking with them about participation in the government and let’s work to strengthen our precious Jewish nation, the foundation of which is our precious traditional Jewish families.