Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, who served as the Rishon LeTzion - Israel's Chief Sephardic Rabbi - from 1993-2003, made a shocking statement yesterday: "Israel's Marriage and Divorce Law should be abolished." The law states that all Jewish marriages in Israel must be performed according to Jewish Law. The rabbi made the call at a conference of the Tzohar Rabbis organization in Jerusalem.
Rabbi Bakshi-Doron later explained that many secular Jews do not abide by this law, and that they either marry in Greece or Cyprus, or do not marry their partners at all. "Compulsion merely causes antagonism towards religion among the secular," the rabbi said. "Just as brit milah [ritual circumcision] is not mandated by law, and yet 95% of Jewish parents in Israel perform this ceremony, I feel that if marriage is not in a forced framework, more people will choose to marry via the rabbinate."
Many religious leaders reacted with fury to the Rishon LeTzion's statements. MK Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) said, "This opinion is more Shinui than Shinui... It is a deviation from the opinion of all the rabbis and Orthodox circles in the Jewish world. According to his logic, we should also permit public Sabbath violation, since the trend is towards opening malls on the Sabbath and holy days... David Ben-Gurion himself signed a 'status quo' document with [the hareidi party] Agudat Yisrael that stipulated that everything will be done to prevent a division of the Nation of Israel into two. Ben-Gurion understood that marriages and divorces according to Jewish Law was the way to preserve the nation's unity [as otherwise many Jews would not recognize others as 'kosher' Jews]. Just a few weeks ago, the Knesset rejected a bill that would recognize non-Halakhic marriages, understanding that this would destroy the nation's Jewish character."
Haggai Gross, Director-General of Tzohar, told Arutz-7's Yosef Meiri today, "Rabbi Bakshi-Doron's position is not ours. The challenge facing the rabbinical world today is to find ways to make Jewish marriage attractive without forcing it."
The Orthodox/Halakhic organization Tzohar bills itself as having been "formed by a group of religious-Zionist rabbis, with the aim of being partners in drafting the Jewish character of the State of Israel, via dialogue and the search for mutual components of identity... Hundreds of rabbis and educators volunteer in the framework of Tzohar... Our activities include conducting marriages, counseling brides and grooms, helping community rabbis who are involved in all aspects of life and society..."
Rabbi Bakshi-Doron later explained that many secular Jews do not abide by this law, and that they either marry in Greece or Cyprus, or do not marry their partners at all. "Compulsion merely causes antagonism towards religion among the secular," the rabbi said. "Just as brit milah [ritual circumcision] is not mandated by law, and yet 95% of Jewish parents in Israel perform this ceremony, I feel that if marriage is not in a forced framework, more people will choose to marry via the rabbinate."
Many religious leaders reacted with fury to the Rishon LeTzion's statements. MK Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) said, "This opinion is more Shinui than Shinui... It is a deviation from the opinion of all the rabbis and Orthodox circles in the Jewish world. According to his logic, we should also permit public Sabbath violation, since the trend is towards opening malls on the Sabbath and holy days... David Ben-Gurion himself signed a 'status quo' document with [the hareidi party] Agudat Yisrael that stipulated that everything will be done to prevent a division of the Nation of Israel into two. Ben-Gurion understood that marriages and divorces according to Jewish Law was the way to preserve the nation's unity [as otherwise many Jews would not recognize others as 'kosher' Jews]. Just a few weeks ago, the Knesset rejected a bill that would recognize non-Halakhic marriages, understanding that this would destroy the nation's Jewish character."
Haggai Gross, Director-General of Tzohar, told Arutz-7's Yosef Meiri today, "Rabbi Bakshi-Doron's position is not ours. The challenge facing the rabbinical world today is to find ways to make Jewish marriage attractive without forcing it."
The Orthodox/Halakhic organization Tzohar bills itself as having been "formed by a group of religious-Zionist rabbis, with the aim of being partners in drafting the Jewish character of the State of Israel, via dialogue and the search for mutual components of identity... Hundreds of rabbis and educators volunteer in the framework of Tzohar... Our activities include conducting marriages, counseling brides and grooms, helping community rabbis who are involved in all aspects of life and society..."