Israel To Jail Unlicensed Rabbis Who Perform Weddings

In a blow to haredi rabbis, according to the new law, rabbis need a special license to conduct weddings. The license will be granted only after special training. Any rabbi who conducts a wedding without a license to do so will be subject to penalties, including a two year jail sentence.

Arutz Sheva reports on the new "Tzohar" marriage law easily passed by Israel's Knesset last night:

…Until now, Israelis who sought to marry needed to register in the community where they lived. If the couples lived in different cities they would register with the Rabbinate of the husband's home town. Many people have complained that they did not get along with the rabbi in charge of their town, and that they were forced to abide by strictures that were not required by Jewish law, but were stringencies that the rabbi followed as a personal or [local Orthodox or haredi] community custom.

According to the law, rabbis will be issued a special license to conduct weddings. The license will be granted only after special training. Any rabbi who conducts a wedding without a license to do so will be subject to penalties, including a two year jail sentence.…

Related Post: Haredi Near-Monopoly Over Marriage Shattered.

Comments

[Jeff]

It's funny; you go to bed while the lunatics are running the asylum. You wake up the next morning, and the (relatively) sane people have seized control.

Perhaps it was all just a terrible dream... like that one season of Dallas.

[Eli, what me messiah?]

as a rabbi/minister/priest duly ordained and licensed by the Universal Life Church, I object to this outrage, and the injustice it inflicts upon the unlicensed hordes of rabbis who probably know quite a bit more than me about religion....

[Sarek]

One step forward, one step backwards. Guess who will be in charge of issuing these licences....
And guess which rabbis will mysteriously not qualify for them....

Don't sell your stock in Cyprus hotels.