( The Tnei Israel' Case By Joshua II. Justman (JTA Correspondent in Israel) (Copyright, 1964, JTA, Inc.) JERUSALEM — More than a hundred members of the Bn ai Israel community in Israel hav e staged on one of Jerusalem's mai r. streets a sit - in strike—which a t the time of writing is entering it third week—and about 2,000 of th e country's 8,000 Bnei Israel Je w last week converged upon the ca 13- ital in a remonstration chargin g discrimination by the Israel Rab binate. The demonstration wa s joined by a number of leadin g Israeli personalities, and the op position parties have deided to de mand the holding of a specia 1 Knesset session to take up the is sue. Are the numbers of the Bne Israel community really being dis criminated against? Is the outcr y during that period, is not one single case did it bar a member of the Bnei Israel community from intermarrying. Indeed, there was no direct reason for the matter to have ex- ploded right now. The leaders of the Bnei Israel community say: we had waited and hoped for its settlement but we cannot go on waiting for ever; we did not persevere in our settlement but we cannot go on waiting for ever; we did not persevere in our Judaism for 2,000 years only to encounter discrimination in the State of Israel. Soon after the sit-in strike be- gan, the leaders of the Bnei Israel were invited by President Shazer, in whose presence Chief Rabbi Itzhak Nissim proposed the pub- lication by the Chief Rabbinate of accompanying their protests just a statement declaring the Bnei Israel community as Jews for all ified? The Chief Rabbinate vehement purposes, and stating that the dir- ly rejects the accusations, and th e ectives regarding marriage procd- National Religious Party has charg ure were applicable to all Jews ed that the matter is being used a s coming from distant countries a political weapon and as a mean of undermining the authority of the Chief Rabbinate. They point out that, in fact, it was the Israe 1 Rabbinate that, two years ago took the bold step to put down th e barriers that for hundreds of year stood bet w e e n the Bnei Israe and the rest of Jewry. According to their own tradi- tion, the Bnei Israel came to India from Palestine 2,000 years ago. The first record available dates back to the year 1835 when an emissary from Safed, Rabbi Shmuel Abbo, reported about the "Jewish tribe" that lived there in ignorance of Jew- ish laws and customs. However, he, had no doubt about their Jewishness and indeed the rab- bis of Safed then ruled that they ought to be accepted as full Jews. The Indian Jewish community accepted this ruling but the ban on intermarrying with members of the Bnei Israel remained and was later fortified by a ruling of the rabbis of Jerusalem and of Bagh- dad. Their reason was the Bnei Israel's disregard of the marriage and divorce laws; specifically, they did not formally divorce their wives, thereby raising the possi- bility of bastardy. The Bnei Israel Jews admitted that their marriage and divorce customs differed from those gen- erally practiced by Jews, but claim- taht their divorced or widowed women were never permitted to remarry so that the question of bastardy was not relevant. The problem took on an acute form when several thousand of the Bnei Israel community moved to Israel. Unlike India, where they lived separated from the main body of the Indian Jewish com- munity, here the question of inter- marriage arose soon after their ar- rival. Bound by earlier rulings, the Israel rabbinate weighed the mat- ter for some time, until two years ago it reached a decision and an- nounced its ruling which put down the bar of intermarriage. However, the Bnai Israelites insit that they are still being dis- criminated against by the direc- tives that accompanied the Chief Rabbinate's ruling of two years ago; they admit that de facto there is no discrimination, but demand that the directitves be repealed. The directives concern the in- vestigation of family background to be followed by marriage regist- ars in the case of Bnei Israel per- sons wishing to marry Jews of other communities. The Rabbinate argues that there 13 no discrimination involved since such directives apply to all Jews coming "from distant lands," meaning from lands where the Jewish community was cut off from the mainstream of Jewish life. These directives have been in force nearly two years, and the Chief Rabbinate points out that, alike and thereby make clear that it was not intended to have the. Bnei Israel singled out. This proposal was rejected. The leaders of Bnei Israel insisted that this would merely mean the ex- tention of the discriminatory dir- ectiveness to other Jews as well. That's where the matter stands. The Chief Rabbinate feels it can- not in matters of Halacha yield to the presSure of demonstrations and sit-in strikes, especially since it went a long way toward meeting the problem. On the other hand it is argued that, once accepted as full Jews, the Bnei Israel are right in their demand to have no "strings" attached to it, even if the acceptance is only de facto. There is no doubt, however, that the issue raised now by the Bnei Israel is being utilized by all those who feel that the whole approach of the Rabbinate in matters of marriage and divorce ought to undergo a revision and is thus part and parcel of the wider and sharp- ening dispute on the relationship between state and Religion. In- deed, only if thus viewed can the intensity of the present controv- ery be fullly appreciated. Hussein, Nassar Discuss Increased Jordan Strength LONDON (JTA)—King Hussein of Jordan, who is currently in Egypt on what is described as a one-week "private visit," is be- lieved to have included the strengthening of Jordan's military position on the Israel border among the subjects discussed with Egyptian President Nasser, it was reported from Cairo. The pro- fessed aim of the discussions is the establishment of close coop- eration between the two govern- ments, in preparation for the meet- ing of heads of Arab states sched- uled for September 5 in Alexan- dria. Hospital in Minneapolis Gets Grant Foundation MINNEAPOLIS (JTA) — Mount Sinai Hospital has received an award of $98,691 from the John A. Hartford Foundation of New York for a three-year project in- volving studies in gastric physio- logy under varying conditions, in- cluding stomach transplantation. Announcement of the grant was made by Jay Phillips, president of the hospital, and Ralph W. Bur- ger, president of the foundation. This is the second research grant given to the hospital by this found- ation this year. The foundation has given Mount Sinai Hospital $600,000 in recent years. IT IS OUR OPINION THAT CHARLES L. LEVIN IS THE BEST QUALIFIED CANDIDATE FOR STATE SENATOR FROM THE 6TH DISTRICT . . • . signed Charles N. Agree Harry Barnett Louis C. Blumberg Morris H. Blumberg Joseph S. Bunk Avern L. Cohn Morris Garvett Charles H. Gershenson Harvey H. Goldman Dr. Samuel J. Levin Malcolm S. Lowenstein Milton M. Maddin Benjamin Nucian Royal A. Oppenheim Max Osnos Sigmund Rohlik Prof. Lawrence IL Seltzer Nate S. Shapero Max M. Shaye Abe Shiffman Leonard N. Simons Richard Sloan Abe Srere Louis Tabashnik Paul Zuckerman IT'S ABOUT TIME You gave serious thought to the man you send to Lansing IT'S ABOUT TIME You made YOUR voice heard on matters vital to you IT'S ABOUT TIME You voted for the man best QUALIFIED to represent you IT'S ABOUT TIME YOU VOTED FOR CHARLES YOUR MAN FOR LANSING STATE SENATOR DEMOCRAT • 6th DISTRICT • 8 Mile Rd. H ollywood VOTE SEPT. 1ST. Pharisee comes from the He- brwe pharash, meaning "to inter- pret" — or, according to some scholars, "to separate." The Phari- sees laid the foundation for rab- binic tradition with their "inter- pretation" of the Holy Law. Ford Xway Political Advertisement THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Friday, August 21, 1964 19 • 5 .+