Knesset Speaker Amir Ochana of the Likud voted Wednesday in favor of an opposition-sponsored bill promoting civil marriage in Israel, despite clear coalition opposition to the legislation. Ochana’s vote triggered sharp condemnation from the chareidi parties, which accused him and Likud of violating long-standing agreements to preserve the religious status quo.
According to chareidi officials, Ochana’s support for the bill directly contradicted understandings reached between Likud and the chareidi factions, particularly commitments to block legislation seen as undermining marriage conducted according to das Moshe v’Yisroel. Senior figures in Degel HaTorah issued an unusually harsh response, calling Ochana’s move “an act that should never have been done.”
In an official statement, Degel HaTorah said that Ochana backed an opposition bill “in direct violation of the agreement between Likud and United Torah Judaism to safeguard the status quo.” The party added pointedly that “the mistake we made in agreeing to Likud’s request and supporting him as Knesset speaker will not be repeated.”
The Shas party also released a formal protest, stating that it “expresses strong objection to the Knesset speaker’s vote in favor of a law that harms the institution of marriage according to Jewish law, in complete contradiction to the position of the coalition.”
Chareidi leaders went further, warning that the civil marriage bill represents a serious breach in Israel’s Jewish character. In another statement, Degel HaTorah described the legislation as “a grave breach in the vineyard of Israel, liable to undermine the foundations of the Jewish identity of the State of Israel,” and said that Ochana’s decision to side with the opposition on such a sensitive issue amounted to a provocation demonstrating that he is “unfit to serve as Knesset speaker for the faith-based camp.”
United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzhak Goldknopf also weighed in, accusing the government of repeatedly violating agreements with the chareidi sector. “The Government of Israel, headed by Binyomin Netanyahu of Likud, continues to breach all the understandings and commitments made to the chareidi public,” Goldknopf wrote.
Referring specifically to Wednesday’s vote, Goldknopf added that Ochana “went even further” by supporting legislation that he described as “a blatant trampling of our holy Torah,” carried out in defiance of prior agreements and of what he called the historic alliance between Likud and the chareidi parties—an alliance built, he said, on safeguarding the values of Jewish tradition within the Knesset.
{Matzav.com}
How could this be, he was just at the Ayhel of the Rebbuh MH”M, and put on tefillin with Chabad, like two weeks ago?
He is a mishkav zochar. They appeared on the Knesset and some of the so called Chareidi politicians even hugged him. Now he wants to legalized so-called same gender marriages and make Israel into a giant Sodom. His so called partner was killed in the Gaza war.
Yes it’s a sickness, and even those who keep Shabbat and kosher are no immune.
Bad evil toxic man.
Perhaps at some point chareidim will realize that the more separate they are from Israeli society, the less Israeli society will care about their opinions.
Haha. You blind fool.
That is a bad joke. The more the Haredi try to become part of society (outside of the Army), the more the Chiloni try to isolate them with sanctions. Cant have people who oppose the Toieva in the state and being successful.
If the state had legitimacy Hamas would not exist now, instead the rabble got 50 ( aprox. total) hostages back and lost a war….playing games with our lives and Neshamot.
I can understand the initial outrage from one side, however many serious problems arise when irreligious people don’t get divorced k’halacha after having had a kosher chupa v’kedushin. So many books and stories written on this subject in the USA at the turn of the century, religious grandparents insisted on a kosher chupa and years later people hunting down community records in leu of deceased Rabbis and family members verifying actual marital statuses of their own parents.
While there were some Rabbinic opinions who felt that it would be better if secular Israelis do not have a kosher marriage for that and similar reasons, others were of the opinion that there are enough shitos that living as a married couple will cause a kosher kiddushin anyway so you will only be left with the problems. Even Rav Moshe Feinstein who strongly felt that a couple does not need a Get with a Reform marriage still held you should try as hard as you can to have them get one.
If there’s no outcry against their chillul Shabbos with public transportation in many cities, stores selling pork, why shouldn’t he take it a step further with civil marriage?
No one cares about anything but money.
Just make an Aliyah.
If your Ruchneus is steiging going up and being elevated in New York than one must stay in New York. Great Rabbis lived in chutzpah learetz. Rashi,Baal Shem Tov,Vilna gaon,Lubavitcher rebbe,Satmar rebbe,rabbi Moshe Feinstein,Reb Aharon Kotler,Rimnirzer rebbe,chometz chayim all giants who became great out of israel.