Among chareidi elected officials, the recent announcement by Minister of Religious Service Yaakov Margi banning Tzohar rabbonim from performing weddings has not elicited a reaction. Among secular and dati leumi MKs however, the move represents another step towards increased chareidiazation of the Rabbanut and other state agencies.
Opposition leader (Kadima) Tzipi Livni decried the move, which she feels is unacceptable and interferes with the welcomed activities by Tzohar rabbonim. MK (Likud) Tzipi Chotovely, a member of the dati leumi community, plans to push forward legislation that will provide a tikun for the actions of the minister.
Minister of Science (HaBayit HaYehudi) Rabbi Daniel Hershkowitz stated this decree against Tzohar is no less severe than the government’s intended destruction of homes and outposts throughout Yehuda and Shomron and he too plans to combat it.
The minister announced that the dati leumi rabbonim affiliated with Tzohar will no longer be permitted to conduct marriages since the state law stipulates rabbonim who receive a state salary may perform weddings, not just any rabbi. Tzohar questions why “admorim and chareidi rabbonim are permitted to perform weddings” while they are being singled out.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
3 Responses
Why should the government, any government, be making deciding on how people set up their weddings? Halacha has no such rule. Validity of a marriage never required government approval, and it isn’t clear if all the rabbis in the world render a marriage valid if the couple don’t intend to be married by “Daas Moshe v’Yisrael”. The desire for patronage is corrupting the frum community who should be worried about more important things.
#1 This is a money issue. (BTW Tzohar Rabbis also marry pls according to “Dat Moshe v’Yisrael)
If only Rabbis on state salaries (who all happen to be charedei) are the only ones allowed to preform weddings, by giving other Rabbis permission,,,who do you think will lose out? (Besides the marriage partners, who can not have the Rabbi of their choice).
#2, it’s less of a money issue than you think. I was present at the Jerusalem Moatza Datit when one of the Rabbonim there was almost crying do another one that a Tzohar Rabbi did something at a wedding which according to Halacha (I think he quoted Reb Moshe Feinstein) invalidates the kiddushin…