MO Rabbis Move To Break Haredi Chief Rabbis' Marriage Monopoly

Chief Rabbinate responds: "Opening it up to rabbis outside the city where the couple lives is dangerous. Couples are liable to be married without undergoing proper scrutiny."

Rabbis: Privatize marriage registration

By MATTHEW WAGNER • Jerusalem Post

A group of religious Zionist rabbis are calling to privatize the marriage registration process to stop what they call the Chief Rabbinate's inefficient, unfriendly and overly stringent bureaucracy from turning off secular Israelis to religion.

However, a senior member of the Chief Rabbinate said he and others would oppose any attempts to change the way marriage registration was performed.

The rabbinic standoff pits religious Zionists against a more haredi spiritual leadership that has been gaining power within the Chief Rabbinate in recent decades.

Tzohar Rabbis, a modern Orthodox rabbinical organization, warned Wednesday that if the religious marriage process were not made more user-friendly, pressure would mount to institute civil marriages in Israel for the first time in its 61-year history.

"If, heaven forbid, there are civil marriages in Israel, God will know to blame petty religious functionaries who care only about their own jobs," said Tzohar chairman Rabbi David Stav in a telephone interview Wednesday, referring to the dozens of clerks currently employed at local rabbinates across the country who are responsible for helping couples register for marriage.

"These people [at the local rabbinates] would sooner fight a holy organization working to bring Jews closer to their tradition than to help make it easier for Jews, secular and religious, to get married," he said.

Tzohar wants to break the monopoly of local rabbis over marriage registration and open it up to competition. Currently a man and woman who want to marry must register with the rabbi of the city in which one of the two lives. Tzohar wants to change the directives so a couple would be able to register with any rabbi in the country who is recognized by the Chief Rabbinate.

This would open the way for rabbis who belong to Tzohar, several of whom are chief rabbis of cities - such as Rabbi Ya'acov Ariel of Ramat Gan and Rabbi Gideon Perl of the Gush Etzion Region - to register couples who live outside their jurisdiction.

Couples would fill out the paperwork at Tzohar's offices in Lod and not with clerks at one of the local religious councils.

However, Rabbi Ratzon Arussi, chief rabbi of Kiryat Ono and chairman of the Chief Rabbinate's Marriage Committee, said the rabbinate opposed any attempts to privatize the marriage process.

"Only local rabbis should be permitted to register couples because they are the best equipped to verify that both the man and woman are Jewish and that they are both single," said Arussi. "Opening it up to rabbis outside the city where the couple lives is dangerous. Couples are liable to be married without undergoing proper scrutiny."

A spokesman for Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger, who is responsible for marriage policy, refused to comment.

According to Stav, who is chief rabbi of Shoham, in many municipalities across the country, especially in large cities such as Tel Aviv, couples planning to marry are forced to wait for long periods and to undergo arduous bureaucratic processes before they can be wed.

In some cases, the situation is further exacerbated by idiosyncratic stringencies such as, for instance, the prohibition on marriage in the weeks after Pessah in accordance with certain customs.

In other cases, clerks are unwilling to authorize unconventional weddings such as ones that take place in a forest.

"The problem is that some clerks at the religious councils - not all, but too many - see what they do as nothing but a job like any other bureaucrat," said Stav. "We, on the other hand, see it as a sacred calling, an opportunity to bring secular Jews closer to their tradition."

Another problem, said Stav, was that many city rabbis affiliated with haredi streams of Orthodoxy did not automatically recognize conversions performed by the National Conversion Authority, headed by religious Zionist Rabbi Haim Druckman.

The National Conversion Authority is run under the auspices of the Chief Rabbinate, and Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shlomo Amar has the final say on conversion policy. But many haredi city rabbis refuse to recognize its conversions because they claim that Druckman's religious Zionist agenda casts doubt on his rabbinic authority.

As a result, dozens of converts who have attempted to register in cities such as Ashdod, Petah Tikva, Rehovot, Ma'aleh Adumim and Beersheba have been turned away by the local rabbis because they are not considered Jewish.

Since the establishment of the State of Israel, all marriages in Israel are performed under the auspices of organized religious leadership, whether Jewish, Muslim or Christian.

Jewish marriage is controlled by the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate. The rationale behind giving the Chief Rabbinate a monopoly over marriages was to maintain Jewish unity by making sure that all Jews, whether secular or religious, would be able to marry one another.

However, in recent years pressure has been building to break the Orthodox monopoly over marriages. The wave of immigration from the former Soviet Union that brought some one million new immigrants to Israel included about 300,000 who were not Jewish according to Halacha.

For the first time in Israeli history, a significant segment of the Zionist population was not Jewish according to Orthodox criteria. These immigrants served in the army, participated in all aspects of society and defined themselves as Israelis, but could not marry.

In addition, many secular Israelis who are Jewish according to Halacha nevertheless prefer not to marry in a religious ceremony and see the Orthodox monopoly over marriages as a form of religious coercion.

Stav said he feared that unless Orthodox rabbis began to provide secular Israelis with better, more efficient religious services in a friendlier environment, pressure would build to amend legislation to enable civil marriages.

"I see mixed marriages between Jews and non-Jews as a spiritual disaster," said Stav. "And I want to do everything in my power to stop it."

Stav added that "in recent years, the Chief Rabbinate has deviated from its original mission of serving the entire Jewish nation, both secular and religious and making sure that Orthodoxy remains relevant. Tzohar is trying to return the Chief Rabbinate to that original mission."

Comments

[reuven sabel]

i will comment later

[Michael Makovi]

The biggest issue, I think, is that local city rabbis violate the law and refuse to recognize Rabbinut conversions. They ought to be fired in a heartbeat for this.

Yes, Rabbinut conversion standards and Right-of-Return standards are too strict.

But THE biggest problem is the insubordination of city rabbis, and the government's refusal to punish them for their violation of the law.

[Ben]

The longer Haredi perversion exists and wider it spreads the more people would be turned of from Orthodoxy and, I afraid, Judaism in general.

I've lost my entire trust in Rabbinical system and respect for the rabbis, over both rabbanut's inaction and wrong headed actions in recent years. It is scary to admit, but now when I see a rabbi, my first thoughts are "Is he also dishonest?" "Is he also cruel to the weak?" "Is he also anti-rational?" "Is he also anti-work?" "Is he also a racist?"

[Michelle]

B"H

What's good for the goose is good for the gander. The Badatz courts are already registering couples for marriage and the Rabbinate has made no trouble for them.

If Badatz is allowed, then why not the Tzohar Rabbis??

Clearly such an argument would stand if it was brought to court . . . but who recognizes the court, the Rabbinate, anything any more?

The Rabbinate can say things until they are blue in the face, but the Haredi public will not follow their advice unless that advice adds another layer of Chumrah, another patina of inconvenience to their lives and the lives of others.

This is creeping xtianity.

The Haredim think if they don't suffer, they are not religious enough.

That is not Judaism, folks! We are supposed to follow the law IN ORDER to have a great life filled with happiness and meaning, not to keep us from having a great life filled with happiness and meaning.

Hashm didn't make the Torah in order to restrict us from all pleasure in life. This stupefying sacrifice to sanctimonious solemnity is some weird fetish of the uber-religious that we have let run rampant and condoned by our silence.

Thank G-d the Tzohar Rabbis are starting to call them on it, but I fear it is too little too late.

[Ben]

Yes Michelle, it is "Too little too late" for many. Furthermore this initiative is destined to be either shut down and go nowhere or haredim will take over the remaining city rabbanates and shut it down this way. In any case the cancer of haredism is unstoppable at this point. Sorry for such a gloomy views, but I don't see where the solution is going to come from.

[sheiner kleiner]

To be honest, although I am orthodox, I think its time that marriages in Israel become civil ones also, not just religeous. Its high time that a modern society such as Israel begins seperating church from state. This way, there are options: Those who want to do things the traditional religeous way may do so, those who do not will not have to. But its ridiculous that in this day and age people need to be "forced" into one way of thinking and acting.

[seymour]

sheiner kleiner you are right just like we do it in the USA

[seymour]

so no civil marriage in Israel

two atheists have to get married religiously?

That is insane

[harold]

The Haredim think if they don't suffer, they are not religious enough.

Where did you get that from?

[Michelle]

B"H

It's my opinion, Harold.

I got it from direct observation of the silliness that is rampant in the increasing haredization of religious Jewish life: women dressing in ten layers of clothing, men refusing to get an education or work because it is "too goyish," whole communities refusing to go by the psk'm of major rabbis so that they can pay extra for meat or milk or clothing, the segregation of all activities whether they are religious or not, the failure to report abuse in the name of religion, even the new craziness about using Shabbat elevators--all in order to be "more religious."

Those things are not "more religious," they are crazy.

Mamonides states that the laws were very carefully crafted in order to lift us from idol worship. To deviate to the right or to the left from the path of Torah may, unwittingly, cause a person to worship in the way of a pagan. This is why we are warned that adding to Torah subtracts.

Not only does adding to Torah subtract a large number of Jews who will opt out rather than play this silly game of "anything you can ban, I can ban harder"; it also subtracts from our religious and moral character.

How many stories are printed every day, just on this blog, which categorize the evils of those so wrapped up in the details of their insane level of observance that they have forgotten to observe major mitzvot of honesty in business, protecting human life, protection of the sick and the weak, and protecting G-d's name?

How many more of these maniacs do I have to observe as they march into court dressed in TzitTzit and Kippah as they answer for their horrible crimes? Do they not see that they are embarassing every Jew and profaning G-d's name? Pride, alone, causes this behavior. (For G-d's sake, my husband doesn't wear a kippah when he drives for fear that he will cut someone off or drive to slowly or too quickly and the other drivers will curse our people (and G-d) for his driving!

What's next with these crazies? When will they be satisfied that they have suffered enough?

Will the next P'sk suggest we should all sit in the dark like Karites? (Seriously, if the Karites weren't around, the haredim might just go that far! Thank G-d for Karites!!)

[Michael Makovi]

Re: Michelle

Rabbi Dr. Eliezer Berkovits referred to many of the Orthodox as "Karaites of the Oral Law".

[nobody]

MO is an American sect.

Religious Zionist is not the same thing as "MO." I suggest editing the title.

[A. Nuran]

Michelle, I think they have finally succeeded in building such a huge fence around the Torah that nobody can get near it.

[Michelle]

:)

[Dave Marshall]

Michelle, I have read a lot of websites run by Karaites as well as their videos on Youtube, and quite frankly they are a lot more reasonable in their observance than a lot of Orthodox people that I have met or read about. The tragedy of our history is that our ancestors persecuted the Karaites so effectively that there are only 30,000 of them today. I think the Jewish people would be far far better off today if the oppposition to Orthodox Judaism was not Conservative and Reform, but Karaite Judaism. At least they believe in Torah mi'Sinai, which Conservative and Reform have given up on.

[Neo-Conservaguy]

Dave,

Torah mi'Sinai is a foundational part of the Jewish mythology and will always have an important place in the hearts of Am Yisrael. If you are determined to believe that the events described happened exactly as written and when decided by later rabbis, rather that understanding it as an important part of the possibly fictional narrative of the story describing the birth of the Bnai Israel, kol ha kavod. However, understand this: Judaism exists perfectly well without overemphasis upon such belief. The system of laws and thoughts developed over time - and meant to always continue development - wastes little time and effort on such beliefs. There is, simply put, far too much Deed to be concerned with, and far less Creed.

[shmuel]

Michelle, great job. Couldn't say it better.
Dave, I know rabbinic Jews persecuted Karaites, but in what way did such persecution cause them to decrease in numbers so drastically?
Neo, thanks for the insight. Yes, more deed, less creed, especially if we fight needlessly and endlessly over chumras and shtuyot. More love, more chesed, less mind-numbing minutiae. Hear hear.

[Dave Marshall]

Neo, you have some good points.
Look, I am not Orthodox, even though I have started attending an MO synagogue.
Even though I personally have difficulty believing in Torah mi'Sinai, I am struggling with that- I do not just believe that the Torah (or the entire Tanach, for that matter) is just "a good book".
The problem is that if one gets rid of even a very broad interpretation of(call it a non-Orthodox version of) Torah mi'Sinai, there is really not much to replace it with, why bother with the mitzvot?

[Dave Marshall]

Shmuel, from what I've read, the reason that Karaite Judaism has declined in numbers over time, is that it relies far far more on individual responsibility for interpreting the Tanach than Orthodox (or Reform or Conservative) Judaism does.

The analogy I make between Orthodox Judaism and Karaite Judaism is as follows:
suppose there were 2 professors who were teaching Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" in the English department of a noted university. Both professors are extremely learned, knowledgeable, well liked and well-respected.
Towards the end of the 1st term, at exam time, each addresses their class:
1. Professor A says: Class, in 2 weeks you will be examined on "Macbeth".
Please re-read the text thoroughly, study your notes, study my class lectures, and your Cliff Notes/ Coles Notes. However all your answers to exam questions must be based on Your understanding of the text.
You may certainly use my class lectures and your Cliff Notes/ Coles Notes in developing your answers. However the Bulk of your answers Must come from your understanding of what the text says, based on context, your understanding of the language of that time, and historical research and linguistic research. If I notice that you are just "parroting" my class lecture notes or Coles Notes/ Cliff Notes, I will give you an "F".
2. Professor B says":
Class, in 2 weeks you shall be examined on "Macbeth". Please re-read the text thoroughly, and also study my class room notes, and also your Coles Notes/ Cliff Notes. I do not want original thoughts from you, or Your understanding of the text, only well reasoned ideas and commentary based Entirely on my class room notes, and your Cole Notes/ Cliff Notes.
If I see any thoughts based on original historical/ contextual research, I will give you an "F". If in doubt, memorize my class room notes, and/ or your Coles Notes/ Cliff Notes, and you will do fine.

As you will no doubt have recognized,
Professor A is a Karaite Jew,
Professor B is an Orthodox Jew.

[Michelle]

B"H

Rabbi Rietti puts it like this in his Torah Tapes:

"The Talmud is the Lecture. The Torah is the Lecture Notes."

In your example, Professor A (the Karite) would only want information from the lecture notes. Professor B, the Orthodox Jew, would require knowledge of both.

The problem I have with Karites is that they ignore obvious allusions in Torah to the Talmud.

For example, Hashm says the people should make the Menorah "as I taught you."

Obviously, the discussion is recorded in Talmud, not in Torah--meaning one cannot understand one without the other!

M

[Dave Marshall]

From my reading, I have found that in a sense everyone has a form of Oral Law- whether Orthodox rabbinic Judaism, karaite Judaism, Conservative rabbinic Judaism, or Samaritan Israelites. Where I disagree with Orthodox rabbinical Judaism is this idea that the Oral Law is divinely given and takes precedence over the Tanach.

[Mosheh Abdadd]

I have to admit that I found Karaism appealing when I looked at one of thier sites. Though ask yourself which rabbinic customes you want to give up. (Certainly I would hate to give up chanukkah, I like learning later rabbinic jewish test. etc.

In the end I dont want to become a karaite because as a somewhat traditionally observant liberal jew I have the perogative of being informed by the rabbinic tradition without being bound by it.

The Rabbinic hoax of torah min hashomayim which which has become a restraining force was originally a tool for evolving halachah radically.

Growing up in ultra ortho circles I knew just these things about karaism:
They are bad
The gaonim defeated them and saved us and they evaporated
They were stupid enough to sit in the dark on shabbos
They were foolish enough to hang their tzitzis on the wall in fullfillment of "and you shall see them.

This is off topic about I heard about a rosh yeshiva (of a kind that no longer exists) who told a bochur to "be neat and just and not show your tzitzis. wear them tucked inside."

"But" protested thge boy "It is an important mitzvah so you have to show it."

The rosh yeshiva replied "Bris milah is a more important mitzvah!"

[Dave Marshall]

Mosheh, I am a descendant of 5 Iraqi rabbis of the 19th century, so I am not going to give up on rabbinic Judaism. I'd give up Purim and Hannukah in a heartbeat.
However, I think that the Jewish people would be far better served, religiously, if instead of (left-wing) Conservative/ Reform/ Reconstructionist/ Humanist the opposition to Orthodoxy was Karaite Judaism, since whatever objection you or I might have to Karaite Judaism, they do believe in Torah mi'Sinai, and they do take their Judaism seriously, Unlike (left-wing) Conservative/ Reform/ Reconstructionist/ Humanist.

[Friar Yid]

Dave- while few non-Orthodox Jews would disagree with your point about Torah mi'Sinai, I find your claim about them "not taking their Judaism seriously" oversimplifying and insulting in the extreme. Exactly where are you getting such a high quality of telepathic information from?

Go talk to some non-Ortho rabbinical students in seminary as they study for smicha. Talk to non-traditional twenty/thirty-somethings as they create their own minyanim and decide how they are going to take charge of their own tefilah. Talk to non-Ortho converts who are converting through a different denomination not because they "can't hack it" as Orthodox Jews, but because something in another movement actually resonated with them. Talk to anyone but yourself.

You don't have to agree with non-Orthodox Judaism. And you're certainly right that there are non-Orthos who don't take their Judaism particularly seriously (I'd argue that part of the issue here is definitions; that is, unaffiliated/seculars vs. apathetic non-Orthos vs. committed non-Orthos). But get real, Dave. We are talking about over 9 million people and you are writing off every single one of them. Don't you think, at the least, that this is a tad silly?

[Yosef ben Matitya]

A spokesman for Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yona Metzger, who is responsible for marriage policy, refused to comment.

we are lucky he refuses, in fact for him, it's a question of parnosseh!