I am not anti-religious; I have long had involvements with one or more synagogues and I even know how to "daven." Yet I have long believed that Zionism would have had a truly revolutionary impact if it had succeeded in separating Jewish ethnic and cultural identity from the religion.
Instead, Israel has no civil marriage, a concession Ben-Gurion made to his Orthodox allies at a time when he thought it would have little bearing on the country. It is a cruel irony that a country mostly founded by militantly secular pioneers is so in thrall today to Orthodox nationalists and ultra-Orthodox extremists.
We reported last week on the problem of the Orthodox religious domination over how Jewish citizens marry and who they can wed in Israel. This more recent Ynet article provides but another outrageous example of over-zealous Rabbinical interference in the lives of Israeli Jews.
This is the summary at the top of this Ynet article (I've added the bracket):
"After producing all the necessary documents proving they are both Jewish, Rabbinate tells couple they cannot marry because husband-to-be is [allegedly] adopted and so his Jewishness cannot be verified. 'I know I'm Jewish and I know I'm not adopted,' says man."
Friday, July 31, 2009
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