Israel celebrated on Sunday when gymnast Arten Dolgopyat won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
But nothing in Israel is simple and Dolgopyat’s win spurred an avalanche of complaints against the Rabbinic “establishment” after his mother slammed Israel for not allowing her son, who is not Jewish, to get married.
Dolgopyat’s mother, Angela Bilan, told Radio 103FM that she’s not Jewish but her husband is “and for us, Arten is completely Jewish.” She complained that Israel is claiming her son’s medal but he can’t even get married in the country since he’s not Jewish by the standards of the Rabbanut.
Since Israel’s Law of Return allows anyone with one Jewish grandparent to become a citizen, Dolgopyat’s family moved to Israel from Dnipro, Ukraine when he was 12 to provide him with the best opportunities to develop his gymnastic abilities. Arten said in an interview with an Israeli media outlet several years ago that when his father told him that they were moving to Israel, it was the first time he had even heard of the country. “I knew we were Jewish, but we didn’t celebrate the holidays, and until that moment I hadn’t even heard of Israel,” he said.
Israel does not allow for civil marriage so couples who cannot marry through the Rabbanut must travel abroad in order to register their marriage.
Bilan’s comments aroused a chorus of complaints on social media why the Rabbanut can’t recognize an elite athlete who brought honor to Israel as a Jew.
Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov (Yesh Atid), who is also not only a Russian immigrant but a former Olympic athlete as well, was quick to add his voice to the debate.
“It doesn’t make sense that the Rabbanut of the same country that Artem Dolgopyat represented today with honor does not allow him basic civil rights like getting married in the country,” Razvozov tweeted.
“The citizens of Israel, no matter where they were born, should not have to undergo a tedious and humiliating process and be approved or rejected by the Rabbanut in order to get married.”
Vladimir Beliak, another Yesh Atid member who is also a Russian immigrant, used the opportunity to slam “racist politicians.”
“I hope that all those who rushed today to congratulate the champion Artem Dolgopyat, won’t remain silent tomorrow when racist politicians in Knesset go back to bashing immigrants from the former Soviet Union,” he wrote.
Reform Rabbi and Labor MK Gilad Kariv wrote to Dolgopyat that “we will continue to fight to bring you free choice in marriage and divorce.”
In contrast, Chareidi journalist Yishai Cohen wrote in a Kikar H’Shabbat article: “I don’t want to live in a state in which Judaism will be decided according to sports fields and events. I don’t want to live in a state where instead of receiving the ol of Torah and mitzvos, we’re content with receiving medals.”
“And to you politicians: No, to say that a Jew needs to be born to a Jewish mother isn’t racism.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
What does marriage have to do with gymnastics?
I have a great idea! Convert and then get married
🙄
Well, why dont we make this Olympian a Maccabee basketball player as well?
After all, he represented Israel with honor! Why should h not be on the most prestigious Israeli Basketball team?!
Oh, you mean that to be a ball player you actually have to play ball? You would actually make him prove his talents to join the team? Isnt the fact that he is an Olympian gold medalist enough?
So yes, if one wants to get married as a Jew they would have to BE a jew. He CAN do that, but only if he wants to…
LET HIM AND HALF A MILLION OTHER GOYIM GO BACK TO RUSSIA AND EASTERN EUROPE. LEAVE ISRAEL TO THE JEWS.
Really crazy country. Because he won an Olympic game he should automatically be Jewish. Wow. I mean I understand they don’t know any better but my goodness it’s tough to read!
And if he was a Druze (or Bedouin or Christian Arab) athlete would there be demands that he be recognized as a Jew? Israel is a country with a Jewish majority but significant non-Jewish minorities. It seems that some “progressives” harbor subconscious racism, feeling that the only “real” Israelis are Jews.
What’s interesting is that while this athlete’s mother is making an issue of this, when he himself was asked, he said that the issue was personal and he did not want to discuss it. It’s also interesting that, per radio reports in Israel, his current girlfriend, whom he presumably wants to marry, is also not Jewish – so there’s actually no Halachic issue in allowing the marriage. The problem is that there’s no mechanism in Israel for a marriage that is not conducted under religious auspices – so since they’re not Halachicly Jewish and don’t identify with any other religion, there’s just no way for them to marry.
Several years ago, the Chareidi parties were moving forward with a proposal to allow cases like this to marry civilly; however, the proposal fell apart when others started making a fuss about how this would not apply to situations where Halacha did not allow for marriage – such as where one party was Jewish and the other not, or where there were issues of Mamzeirus, where the Chareidi and DL parties were (with good reason) not willing to compromise. That’s part of why the situation is what it is today…
an Israeli Yid
To be fair, I don’t think that the rabbanut cares very much about Dolgopyat’s gold medal. So I think they can be consistent.
Oh, i thought you are only jewish if you schmear your bagel from left to right.
I did eat my jarred gefilte and herring. Where is my giyur certificate?
I don’t drive on shabbos. that’s all that matters right?
Most other countries would revoke the citizenship of a person who immigrated under false pretences
Someone should inform him if he was given nationality in most Muslim countries he would not be allowed to eat pork or drink alcohol even though they would celebrate the medal
Let him marry a non Jew
If she thinks that’s bad, she should go through the modern Jewish Agency for Aliyah. The rest is easy!
Mom isn’t Jewish so how in the world is she claiming her son is “completely Jewish”??!!! He may be Israeli , but that doesn’t make him Jewish! Sad that mom can live her life in Israel and not understand what being Jewish means and what Judaism represents!