The Rabbinate gave the couple permission to marry – a necessity in Israel, where all Jews are forced to marry through the auspices of the haredi-controlled Chief Rabbinate of Israel and its local affiliates. The couple wanted a small wedding to be held at the Rabbinate's office, and the Rabbinate agreed and married the couple – without realizing the groom was actually born female.
A Transgender Surprise: Groom Born As A Female Married By Jerusalem Rabbinate
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Arutz Sheva reports that a couple recently approached the official state Jerusalem Rabbinate to register for marriage. The woman was clearly pregnant, and the man claimed the baby was his child.
The Rabbinate gave the couple permission to marry – a necessity in Israel, where all Jews are forced to marry through the auspices of the haredi-controlled Chief Rabbinate of Israel and its local affiliates.
The couple wanted a small wedding to be held at the Rabbinate's office, and the Rabbinate agreed and married the couple.
But two weeks after the ceremony, the rabbis got the surprise of their lifetimes. The man they had married was actually born female, but was transgender and had sex reassignment surgery two years ago and had his state-issued ID card changed to show his sex as male.
The Rabbinate decided to annul the marriage and the couple is no longer listed as married by the Rabbinate.
In halakha (Orthodox Jewish law), the possibility of changing one’s gender is not generally recognized, and transgender people are generally viewed by it as members of their birth gender as determined by outward signs (like the presence or absence of a penis, for example) even after gender reassignment surgery.
[Hat Tip: Joel Katz.]