A bill initiated by MK (Likud) Yehuda Glick offers an incentive to couples who are willing to attend a pre-marriage course in the hope of reducing the number of divorces. The course is intended to provide newlyweds with tools to deal with married life and a family without resorting to violence.
Courses would be approved by the Ministry of Welfare & Social Services. If a couple completes the course, they will earn a half point for their tax returns, saving a sum in income tax as well as being entitled to having marriage registration fees, which run in the hundreds of shekels, reimbursed.
The bill enjoys the support of both MKs from the coalition and opposition.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
Who would be giving the course? IMHO, some “marriage courses” only backfire. Would chareidi couples be required to listen to some secular psychologist spew nonsense all over them, or could they choose someone steeped in darchei HaTorah?
In general, government agencies are NOT effective vehicles for accomplishing things, no matter how well intentioned. Unfortunately Israeli is very much addicted to the “statist” model which assumes that the government can solve every problem. Many Americans prefer a model in which the government is at most supportive to people, and relies on the people to work out their own problems. Given that the Israeli government is controlled by people who are anti-Torah, from a frum perspective, the government that governs least, governs best.
This initiative is Great!!!Here for hoping that it passes
#2 There is always the need to worry about and to fiddle with unintended consequences.However…
And here come the cynics…..