The Knesset Law Committee passed a bill to change the minimum age permitting one to marry from 17 to 18. The committee passed the second and final reading of the bill authored by Meretz leader MK Zahava Gal-On, Coalition Whip MK Yariv Levine and MK (Hadash) Dov Hanin. That means anyone wishing to get married and is under 18 requires permission from a court. Failure to acquire permission from a court constitutes a criminal act that carries a maximum jail term of two years.
The bill seeks to tie the court’s hand, setting a minimum age even with court permission at 16. The first reading of the law has already passed in the previous 18th Knesset.
Minister of Sport (Likud) Limor Livnat is contemplating an amendment to the bill that would grant a beis din the right to make an exception for couples aged 16-to-18, realizing the problems the new law would create in the frum community.
MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Uri Maklev requests giving authority to make an exception to the Chief Rabbinate Supreme Court. Maklev feels this law would have an impact in some communities in which children are regularly married younger than 18. He feels the bill is a violation of one’s basic rights.
Arab MK Hanin Zoabi feels the choice must be given to the parents, not the children for the bill seeks to protect the minors, which the law feels do not have the maturity required for such a decision. Zoabi explains tradition does not permit the children free will.
MK (Yisrael Beitenu) David Rotem, who is shomer Shabbat, feels the batei din should not be given any additional authority over what they have today.
MK (Shas) Avraham Michaeli warns that this will simply “encourage pirate weddings” since it is clear certain population groups will not comply with this law.
According to officials at The Ruth and Emanuel Rackman Center for the Advancement of Women’s Status at Bar Ilan University, 4,500 minors are married in Israel annually.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
Government is in our ” Kishkes”!
Enouph already.
Are there figures about the success rate of such marriages compared to those of marriages of people who marry at a later age? Why shouldn’t that be a deciding factor.
The zionists continue their war against Judaism. They will be ignored and disregarded by Torah Jews.
FTW, in the State of New York the minimum age to marry with court consent is 14; yes 14. At 16 you need only parental consent.
SO if a kid marries (or moves in with, let’s not consider whether or not this is a valid kiddushin) a 17 year old, they will throw him in jail — maybe instead they should encourage him to support his family (since in all fairness, the motivation for the marriage is probably a baby).
The fact is that the ruling class in Israel, if it marries at all, marries late – and they are just proposing the law to oppress the classes who aren’t “elite”.
How about a two year jail sentence for non married couples who co-habit. Are we trying to promote responsible behavior or just discriminate against the religious?
#5 Are you kidding? There’d be more jails than homes. They cannot promote something they themselves see nothing wrong with. If only such an idea can be imposed on “married” couples who cohabit with other spouses, Hashem yishmor.
Every day the Satanim in the Zionist government come out with a new decree against kedushat Yisrael.
One day it’s allowing your own Rabbi (even reform) to perform marriages.
The next day it’s same gender marriage.
Then civil marriage.
Now the Zionists want to set an age for marriage and prefer “fooling around” even at age 12 to marrying b’kedusha vetahara.
The next thing on their agenda is compelling Rabbanim to marry Jews off with goyim.
Then they’ll prohibit more than 1 child in charedi families to marry since, like Pharaoh feared “pen yirbeh”, they will overpopulate the country with charedim, especially those who don’t join the military as the secular government is not up to supporting those “charedi parasites”.
The kedusha vs. the sitra achra in the Torahless government is quite obvious but it won’t help them, religious Jews will not give them a hoot. Netzach yisrael lo yeshaker.
If this new gezeira goes into effect, religious Jews will do like chilonim and “legally” according to secular law not be married until the official age. Then they’ll even be able to get benefits from the government who support children from single marriages. After all, Israel is “officially” a “democratic” country who would not discriminate against single chilonim and single charedim for privileges.
The chiloni government have nothing to worry about anymore besides making the charedim perfect. Thank you Zionists. Keshot atzmecha ve’achar kach keshot achaerim – take care of yourselves first.