Young Members of NRP Opt
for Introducing Civil Marriage
TEL AVIV (JTA)—A generation
gap has developed within the Na-
tional Religious Party, whose
younger elements see a need to
ease the uncompromising ortho-
doxy of their elders.
Young party leaders have been
discussing the possibility of intro-
ducing civil marriage in Israel for
persons who, for various reasons,
cannot be married according to
Halakha, Jewish religious law. The
idea is anathema to the party
leadership.
Interior Minister Joseph Burg
complained recently that "Appar-
ently the original values now re-
main with the elders." Minister
for Religious Affairs Zerach War-
haftig accused the young party
members of "undermining the
very basis of the Jewish people's
unity."
But Rabbi Meir Cohen, head of
Histadrut's religious department,
praised the young people. He
welcomed their discussion of the
subject of civil marriage and ex-
pressed the hope that they will
have the "courage to fight for
the ideas" that will "clear the
polluted atmosphere" on the is-
sue of state and religion.
The subject of civil marriage,
and other religious reforms, was
to have been discussed at the re-
cent Labor Party convention but
was deferred because Premier
Golda Meir and other ministers
feared it would offend their NRP
* * *
Orthodox Protest
Marital Reforms
JERUSALEM — The government
was asked by an emergency meet-
ing of the executive of Agudat Is-
rael of America to "halt its pres-
sure tactics to attempt to coerce
the Israeli rabbinate to . com-
promise Torah law on conversion
and personal marital status."
The call related to the ongoing
controversy in Igrael over the rab-
binate's insistence upon strict ad-
herence to Torah law (Halakha) in
conversions to the Jewish faith
and in the marital status of its
citizens.
The call, which was issued over -
the ,signature of the chairman of
Akudath Israel's executive corn-
- mittee, Rabbi Moshe Horowitz,
declares:.-
"Accusations of ,'clerical brutal-
ity and inhumaneness,' hurled at
rabbinical decisions based on
Halakha, can only serve to cause
division and strife at a time of
crisis when national unity is of
paramount importance.
"At - no time or place in history
has any political or administrative
group attempted to dictate to a
rabbinical court regarding its
halakhic decision. Yet today, when
the rabbinic courts have found the
procedures of the conversions that
have taken place in Vienna defi-
cient from a halakhic standpoint,
government leaders are demand-
ing a policy of 'leniency' and 'com-
promise' to facilitate aliya.
"Some religious Jews are reluc-
tant to object openly to these pres-
sures to give 'Jewish status' to
' non-Jews, because they feel that
publicly challenging any Israel
government policies at this time
could harm the current security
needs of the State. On the con-
trary, our objections to tampering
with Torah law are a call to for-
tify the security and unity of our
people. We believe most firmly
that our people's security is based
on the divine presence of God in
our midst, and we cannot in any
measure tolerate any proposal to
expel the Shehina from our Holy
Land."
coalition partners. But the Ortho-
dox religious establishment is com-
ing under increasing pressure to
reform from within or face inevi-
table legislation that would end its
exclusive control of religious and
family matters in the state.
The main issues are marriage
and the conversion of non-Jewish
spouses of immigrants. The Israeli
rabbinate refuses to recognize con-
versions performed abroad by rab-
bis whose Orthodoxy it questions.
Its recent refusal to issue mar-
riage licenses to two young Israelis
because it considered them to be
"illegitimate" according to reli-
gious law, aroused a wave of in-
dignation in Israel and new de-
mands for religious reforms.
Israeli Panthers
Confront Police,
Disrupt Meeting
JERUSALEM (JTA)
Israel's
home grown Black Panthers bat-
tled police outside of Jerusalem
district police headquarters after-
they earlier disrupted an annual
folkloric gathering of immigrants
from North Africa.
Police wielded truncheons as the
self-styled Panthers tried to storm
the headquarters building.
A claim by one 13 ther, that
mounted police had indiscriminate-
ly trampled them was refuted by
an eye-witness known by the Jew-
ish Telegraphic Agency to be reli-
able. The witness said police used
truncheons to disrupt the mob,
but not "viciously" and "only
when absolutely necessary."
The incidents were the first seri-
ous outbreak of violence involving
Jerusalem slum youths who-have
adopted the name and style of the
American Black Panther Party.
According to witnesses, a gath-
ering of 5,000 North African immi-
grants in Sacher Park across a
valley from the Knesset building
was turned into shambles when
a gang of Panthers tried to take it
over. The gathering, known as
Maimuna fosters North African
Jewish folklore. President Zalman
Shazar appeared personally to
open it.
The Panthers invaded the
gathering later, storming the
central stage. Two policemen
were injured in the melee that
followed. Several Panthers were
arrested.
About 20 Panthers marched
from the park down Jaffa Road,
Jerusalem's main thoroughfare, to
district police headquarters in the
center of the city. The marchers
were joined by bystanders and
their numbers increased to about
60 when they reached police head-
quarters.
They threatened to storm the
jail unless the Panthers arrested
earlier were released. Ten mount-
ed policemen and several dozen
constables guarded the building
but did not move against the at-
tackers until they were practically
at the door, witnesses said.
World Social Service
Needs to Be Analyzed
NEW YORK — Social service
needs in Israel, Europe and South
America and how Jewish centers
help meet these needs will be re-
viewed by community leaders
across the nation at a meeting of
the board of directors of the Na-
tional Jewish Welfare Board (JWB)
April 24 and 25 at the Essex House.
Asher Tarmon, executive direc-
tor of the World Federation of
YMHAs and JWB's consultant on
Jewish educational and cultural
programing, will be among those
reporting at the board meeting
Saturday night.
What Jewish centers are doing
to combat drug abuse and prevent
drug involvement, as dealt with at
a recent JWB consultation on
drugs, will be among the items to
be discussed Sunday.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
400 Russian Children
Among 11,000 Educated
in Youth Aliya Schools
NEW YORK — Nearly 400 chil-
dren of immigrants from Soviet
Russia are among the 11,000
youngsters that are being educated
in Youth Aliya schools during the
1971 year, according to Joseph
Klarman of Jerusalem, member
of the Jewish Agency Executive
and head of its Youth Aliya de-
partment.
Klarman, who arrived in this
country to attend meetings in con-
nection with the reconstitution of
the Jewish Agency, said Youth
Aliya plans to spend almost $9,000,-
000 during the current year.
"Of these 11,000 children in Youth
Aliya facilities during the current
year," Klarman said, "it is ex-
pected that 1,100 will be children
brought by Youth Aliya to Israel
while their parents still remain
abroad; 5,400 children of immi-
grants will be educated in youth
villages, 2,000 in kibutzim, 1,900
in day centers, 300 in preparatory
classes, 290 in foster families, 400
in youth ulpanim and 400 in for-
eign language classes."
Friday, April 23, 1971-13
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