Israel’s civil supreme court just ruled that, unless the petitioners wish otherwise, post get (divorce) issues will be settled in civil family court.
The rabbis still will grant, or withhold at their whim, divorces.
This issue never should have come about, but having seen the rabbinical courts at work, I am glad for the supremes’ decision.
Too often in a divorce, the woman gets a huge settlement, even when the wife is an obvious adulteress (living openly with her lover, in at least one case I personally know about, her Muslim lover).
And the pain continues.
Not only is there an on-the-spot payout, the wife gets half of any sale of property held by the couple before the divorce. Never mind if the wife never contributed a prutah, she gets half if the property is sold.
I know these things for a fact.
This is just one more issue with which the Israeli rabbinute keeps Judaism in the dark ages – they are the ayatollahs of Judaism.
Conversions? The Israeli rabbinute has ruled that only a few rabbis in the US can perform “Israeli acceptable” conversions. Even in Israel, the rabbinate refuses to accept conversions from an especially created conversion organization led by a well known rabbi. Conversions according to Rambam are not good enough; conversions must be in accordance with the Litvaks of Jerusalem, “modern Jews” who reject the ruling of their betters. Of course Rambam was Sefardi, so I suppose that makes him unacceptable to the Litvaks.
The rabbinute over the years became like the schoolyard bully; the supremes reined it in. Had the rabbinute had the interest of the Jewish people first and foremost, it would have been even-handed on divorces; it would have considered the children before the parents when custody was contested, and it would not try to control rabbis outside of Israel. Finally, it would never strip a convert of the conversion because the convert failed to follow all the mitzvoth of the Torah and the rules of the talmuds. This happened to one woman following a divorce; she was declared by the bullies to not be a Jew, meaning that her children also were not Jewish which must have been a surprise to the children.
Because of this and similar decisions, non-haredi Israelis are turning against the rabbinate; some also turning against the religion that the rabbis represent. The reality is that many Jewish Israelis get married outside of Israel, some in a religious setting, most not. An increasing number of Israelis have found ways to have a civil marriage in Israel.
There ARE rabbis – important rabbis such as Israel Meir Lau – who are not bullies, rabbis who respect and have the respect of their own (in R. Lau’s case, Ashkenazim) and others (e.g., Sefardi and Mizrachi Jews).
Maybe the fact that the haridim are in the opposition in the current Knesset is a good thing. Hopefully Biet HaYehudi will find a middle ground between the Litvaks and the average Israeli Jew; while the Litvaks will lose some power, Judaism will gain from it.
All this from a person who, when he lived in Israel, was a strong supporter of NRP, -מפלגת הדתית לישראל- (even though I wear a knitted kippa).
