Sunday Jul 27, 2008
Posted by MK Colette Avital
Some 300-350 thousand non-Jewish immigrants live in Israel today, mostly people who emigrated from the former Soviet Union under the Law of Return. They are all Israeli citizens; most of them well integrated in Israeli society. Many serve in combat units in the IDF. Under Israeli law and the famous Status Quo arrangement, the Orthodox establishment monopolizes the conversion process in Israel. Non-Jewish immigrants can die for the country, but cannot marry a Jewish citizen in Israel.
Two months ago an urgent meeting took place in the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset. Its chairman, MK Menachem Ben-Sasson, convened the meeting following a preposterous case that took place in the Rabbinical Court of Ashdod. At the end of a simple divorce case, the court retroactively revoked the wife's conversion - which took place 15 years earlier - declaring her marriage null and void and her children gentiles. The decision not only canceled the woman's conversion, but also discredited some 15,000 conversions preformed by Rabbi Haim Druckman, former head of the State Conversion Authority.
Monday Apr 07, 2008
Posted by MK Colette Avital
In recent weeks it seems that a new and noxious wave of domestic violence has come to light. This deplorable phenomenon has existed, no doubt, before the recent media coverage. However, the new cases which were recently revealed have mostly occurred in the Ultra-Orthodox community. In one case, a so-called "Rabbi" encouraged brutal abuse of young children in order to "purify" them and "clear their bodies of demons". The newfound public interest along with the shocking testimonies of the abused children has sparked a public debate on the issue, prompting us to ask ourselves: how can we deal with this?
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About this blog
A-vital Blog
MK Colette Avital of Labor discusses the region's recent developments and the implications for Israel's future.
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Recent Comments
SWAV, New York: A bit of an oversimplification of the issue of domestic violence, this article misses the vicious cycle of violence. The violator, often a victim of domestic violence from childhood, often does not know the boundaries of how to express anger. Plenty of very educated, moral people deal with this issue, which faces 1 in four women in the US. I think this portrayal gives a better sense for the issues and what sorts of challenges you face:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjpb93Z8NKs
Herbert Kaine, Hebron, Israel: It doesnt matter to Colette if Israel makes the wrong decision. She can always go to France. The rest of us Israelis will be stuck with the consequences.
Shmuel: This article is so poorly written. What kind of people do we actually have in the Knesset? The citizens in Israel need to stop following like lambs and start demanding responsibility from the elected officials. This can only be accomplished by having a system similar to the USA whereby, each region will have congressmen and senators who are responsible to their regions. This way they will not always have to follow the party line for fear of losing their Volvo.
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Comments (20)