Tzohar director Rabbi David Stav and Minister of Religious Affairs Yaakov Margi spoke to Kol Chai Radio on Tuesday night, November 8th, explaining their side of the dispute surrounding Tzohar rabbonim performing weddings.

Rabbi Stav stated that he is not picking on chareidim, but questions why “any admor, rosh yeshiva or chareidi rav” can marry a couple with the blessing of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel while 90% of Tzohar-affiliated rabbonim are disqualified from conducting a chupah. He points out that Minister of Religious Services (Shas) Yaakov Margi did not disqualify Tzohar per se, but seven years ago passed a law stating that only rabbonim who receive a state salary may conduct a chupah. While that sound fine, the Rabbinate still permits the chareidi community as mentioned above, despite the fact the admorim and roshei yeshiva are not state employees.

To date, seeking to operate within the restrictions set forth by the state, Tzohar has received cooperation from the communities of Tzohar, Ramat Gan and Gush Etzion, working with the local rabbinate in those areas. They would complete the forms and officially, the weddings were filed by those municipalities, not Tzohar, but today, even this is not being permitted.

R’ Stav simply questions the double standard, the discrimination by the ministry against the dati leumi community, in this case Tzohar. Rav Stav quoted a recent statement by an official in the office of the Rishon L’Tzion, who told the media that the Tzohar rabbonim are taking the livelihood of the rabbonim in the system, and according to Tzohar, this is at the crux of the issue, nothing else. Rabbi Stav questions the priorities in place, since the money the rabbonim make conducting a chupah appears to be more important than the volunteer work and the kiruv conducted by Tzohar rabbonim.

Responding was Minister of Religious Affairs Yaakov Margi, who lashed into the Tzohar organization for trying to portray itself as a voluntary operation. He stated Tzohar takes a fee for opening a file as does a local rabbanut, and any attempt to paint a picture of pure voluntarism is not accurate. Margi explains the bottom line is there are 40,000 files opened nationwide annually for couples who wish to marry and Tzohar addresses perhaps a 1,000. This he explains is proof that this is not a matter of money or livelihood, but simply addresses adherence to the law.

The minister explains that a marriage certificate is a legal document as is a passport, and he is responsible to keep track of them, and to report on them, documents that are in numbered sequences and so forth.

Margi adds the tzibur should investigate and draw its own conclusions and realize the Chief Rabbinate simply must comply with the law and that is what it is all about.

Margi did not address why admorim and roshei yeshiva are permitted to marry couples in their kehila.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)