Yesh Atid leader Finance Minister Yair Lapid has decided to bring the issue of civil marriage to the winter session of Knesset. Lapid plans to push his party’s private bill forward during the current Knesset session, seeking to provide an alternative, permitting those wishing to marry outside of a Halachic framework to do so.
From Lapid’s perspective, this bill will provide a solution for couples who are not eligible to marry in the Rabbanut framework for one reason or another in addition to those who simply do not want a Jewish wedding.
The bill was drafted by Yesh Atid MKs Dr. Aliza Lavie, Dr. Ruth Calderon and Health Minister Yael German. All of the party faction members are signed onto the bill. They point out that at present, “the only way to establish a family framework in Israel today is in line with religious law” and they hope to create a new reality with their bill. The authors of the bill feel that today’s reality, compelling adherence to Halacha, results in a major infringement on one’s basic rights. As a result, many couples are not recognized under judicial and state law. Yesh Atid estimates tens of thousands of couples must undertake additional expense, compelling them to travel abroad to be married outside of a halachic framework, pointing out that in 2011, 8,995 couples were added to the population registry, all married abroad.
According to Central Bureau of Statistics data, the number of people living as a couple in Israel without being married has increase 2.5 times between 2000 and 2011. Yesh Atid’s bill cites the numbers, adding the lack of an alternative option is widening the gap in society between those who live a Torah observant life and those who do not.
There is more. The bill refers to the two individual in the partnership wishing to become a couple. The bill doesn’t make reference to the gender of the people. Hence, if the bill becomes law it will bring de facto recognition of same-gender unions.
Lapid stressed “I didn’t come to Knesset to stare at the current reality from the sidelines. We came to shape a citizen revolution and the civil union bill is an important component of this revolution. We must offer an alternative for all, Jew and goy, straight or gay, for every citizen that wishes to live together. One of the basic rights of humanity is to love how one sees fit.”
Housing Minister (Bayit Yehudi) Uri Ariel announced “I will oppose this bill with all my might”.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
6 Responses
This is a very positive step. Anyone who reflexively opposes this will be responsible for being marbeh mamzeirim. It is safe to assume that Israelis would be satisfied with a civil marriage would not give a halachically valid Get should it ever come to that. The torah community should welcome civil marriage because in the long run it will prevent serious mamzeirus shailos.
I think it would behoove YWN to cut out the womens underwear adds on the front page of this post
“Civil marriage” is a meaningless change since Israel, since its founding, has tolerated adultery. Unlike like cultures there is no such thing as “living in sin” in Israeli law (with serious economic penalties – at one time under western law if the father was married to the mother he had no rights or duties pertaining to the children — which has never been the halacha).
Many rabbanim consider rabbinate marriages involving hilonim to be no different than “civil” marriage since the intent of the bride and groom is NOT to be married “k’Das Moshe v’Yisrael” but only “k’Das” the government – and if the government has a ritual formula, that’s fine but its only to make Netanyahu happy, and no more.
It would be better if the frum community in Israel focus on protecting their own members (e.g. making sure a woman gets a “get” when her husband ends the marriage) rather than creating numberous shailohs and a large number of putative mamzering by coercing hilonim to go through an imitation of a halachic marriage (which is probably void, certainly voidable, and is a farce since they have no intentions of concluding a Jewish marriage).
Leave it up to chilonim. They want civil marriage or no marriage altogether (which is actually the same thing for Jews) but they insist on marriage for same gender baalei teivot baalei aveirot.
This is about the only thing I agree with Lapid as #1 said. What do they need marriage for if they anyhow “live in sin”? Civil marriage will at least not bring mamzerim into the world. But why would Rabbanim be opposed to it?
Lapig said: “One of the basic rights of humanity is to love how one sees fit.”
Hmmm, if one fell in love with a Nazi, Lapig would allow that too? Probably, since he’s a Nazi himself.
“why would Rabbanim be opposed to it?”
Two reasons:
1) Power.
2) Drive the non-frum further away from Yiddishkeit.
I’m sure that most of the rabbinic opponents do not really WANT to do #2, but this is precisely the kind of action that does do that.