Israel, This Is Not Who We Are
Orthodoxy should be respected, but we cannot allow the politics of a radical minority to alienate millions of Jews worldwide.
By Ronald S. Lauder
Mr. Lauder is president of the World Jewish Congress.
'For many Israelis, Jews and supporters of Israel, the last year has been a challenging one. In the summer of 2017, Israel’s government withdrew from an agreement that would have created an egalitarian prayer area at the Western Wall and proposed a strict conversion law that impinges on the rights of non-Orthodox Jews. This summer the Knesset passed a law that denies equal rights to same-sex couples. A day later came the nation-state law, which correctly reaffirms that Israel is a Jewish state, but also damages the sense of equality and belonging of Israel’s Druze, Christian and Muslim citizens.
Last month, a Conservative rabbi was detained for the alleged crime of performing a non-Orthodox wedding ceremony in Israel. In several municipalities, attempts were made to disrupt secular life by closing convenience stores on the Sabbath.
These events are creating the impression that the democratic and egalitarian dimensions of the Jewish democratic state are being tested.
Israel is a miracle. The Jews of the diaspora look up to Israel, admire its astonishing achievements and view it as their second home. However, today some wonder if the nation they cherish is losing its way.
For 4,000 years, the Jewish people were seen as the world’s moral compass.
The Zionist movement has been unwaveringly democratic from its very start. Writ large upon its flag were liberty, equality and human rights for all. It was also one of the very first national movements to guarantee full equality and voting rights for women. And when Israel was founded, it immediately became the first and only democracy in the Middle East. Its Declaration of Independence guarantees “complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex,” as well as a guarantee of freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture. . .
The issue at hand is first and foremost a moral one, but the new nation-state legislation may also have severe national and international repercussions. In Israel, it will heighten the sense of polarization and discord. Abroad, Israel may find itself associated with a broken values system and questionable friends. As a result, future leaders of the West may become hostile or indifferent to the Jewish state.
Tragically, the new policies will not strengthen Israel but weaken it, and in the long run they may endanger Israel’s social cohesiveness, economic success and international standing.
But the greatest threat is to the future of the Jewish people. For over 200 years, modern Judaism has aligned itself with enlightenment.'>>>
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/13/opinion/israel-ronald-lauder-nation-state-law.html?
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The Israeli ID states whether a citizen is a Jew. And then you have the different rabbinate chapters in the cities.
The irony, as stated below, is that according to Jewish law, a couple can marry by one of three acts: a traditional marriage under a canopy with a rabbi performing the ceremony, an item of value (a ring) and consummation. (Ben Gurion used to joke that he married his wife Paula according to the "third option."
Thus, even if a couple is not married under an approved rabbi, they would still need an official divorce if they want to marry someone else.
This was the original story from July 19:
Israeli police detained on Thursday a Conservative rabbi who presided over non-Orthodox weddings.
Rabbi Dov Haiyun of Moriah Congregation in Haifa was ordained by the Conservative movement, which is not recognized by Israel's Chief Rabbinate. He was detained following a complaint filed against him by the Rabbinical Court in Haifa for allegedly "marrying those who are not eligible to be married."
The incident was the first time police attempted to enforce a 2013 law forbidding performing weddings outside the Rabbinate, a law carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison.
Haiyun was taken to a police station and released after signing a document promising to report for questioning on Monday.
Following the reports, Attorney General instructed police not to question Haiyun. Police דubsequently told Haiyun that he would not need to return for questioning, as he was asked to do on Thursday. He will instead be summoned if necessary, police said.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-detains-conservative-rabbi-for-performing-non-orthodox-weddings-1.6291221
