Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman is meeting with representatives of the religious parties on Monday morning as he attempts to reach an understanding to define the nature of religion and state in the forming coalition.
Included in the meeting with be the heads of Shas and Yahadut HaTorah.
It is difficult to foresee any agreement on matters of halacha and religion, with the chareidi parties working to secure the position of batei din and halachic law while Lieberman favors more of a defined separation between matters of halacha and the running of the state.
In a related matter, the Chief Rabbinate is scheduled to meet on Thursday, at which time they will discuss Lieberman’s civil marriage legislation, perhaps willing to turn a blind eye in cases pertaining to non-Jews. Shas leader Eli Yishai has already informed Lieberman his party is willing to take such a step, which he views as major progress, but stated regarding Jews, the issue is a non-starter.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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One Response
On “civil marriage” there is plenty of room for compromise since Israel already recognized de facto marriages (ידוע בציבור) so at issue is only whether such relationships should have the same economic rights as halachic marriages. Israel has no law prohibiting extramarital relationships, and these are already quite common among the hilonim. Indeed, insisting that secular Jews go through a halachic marriage is very dubious since such persons frequently have children by other than their halachic spouses raising a question of mamzeros, which will probably result in rabbanim ruling the marriages were void ab initio due to lack of intent to be married כדעת משה וישראל.