AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS

Greater Detroit Chapter

presents

"In a New Decade of Peace
The Jewish Agency: Past, Present and Future"

Featuring

Jane Sherman

Jewish Agency Board Member

Tuesday, November 2, 1993

7:30 p.m.

at the

Friedman Room
Agency for Jewish Education

21550 West Twelve Mile Road
Southfield, MI

Vincent Gregory

"Your New Voice on the Southfield City Council"

"As a police detective and a father of four, what really matters to me and my
family is the quality of life in our city — safe streets, good schools, and respon-
sible local government.
Southfield is a great place to live and raise a family. The quality of life in
Southfield is what sets us apart, and the diversity of our neighborhoods is what
makes us strong. But unless we open up City Hall to all the people of our com-
munity, Southfield will not stay strong.
I'm running for City Council because more can and must be done to ensure
that Southfield gets better — not worse. Local government can do more and I
intend to make it work."

—

110

Vincent Gregory

I'm pleased to be supported by Small Business, Civic and Social organiza-
tions, Southfield Fire-Fighters Association, Southfield Police Officers
Association/POAM, the Detroit-Metro AFL-CIO and many other groups.

Paid for by: Committee to Elect Vince Gregory to Southfield City Council • 29501 Red Leaf Drive • Southfield, Ml 48076

Rabbi Uri Regev asks Diaspora Jews to help immigrants.

Orthodox Monopoly
Is Challenged

Jerusalem (JTA) — The
Reform and Conservative
movements are joining
forces to challenge the mo-
nopoly of Israel's Orthodox
rabbinate to perform mar-
riages.
The movements' leaders
announced this week that
they will perform marriages
that are outside the auspices
of the Chief Rabbinate.
While they already do so in
individual cases, the an-
nouncement represents
what the movements say is
the first, "stopgap" measure
in a stepped-up campaign to
change Israel's matrimony
laws.
They also acknowledge
that the struggle against one
of the state's legal under-
pinnings will be difficult.
"We certainly know
there's going to be a long
fight," said Pinhas Vardin,
president of the Conser-
vative movement in Israel.
"But if we managed to sit
down with Yassir Arafat,
then anything is possible."
The Orthodox monopoly
perpetuates a denial of basic
human rights and of re-
ligious freedom, charged
Rabbi Uri Regev, head of the
Israel Movement for Pro-
gressive Judaism.
Israel's Interior Ministry
does not recognize Jewish
marriages performed in
Israel unless they are con-
ducted under the auspices of
the Chief Rabbinate or of the

fervently Orthodox.
Civil marriages, as well as
non-Orthodox Jewish ones,
are recognized only if they
are performed abroad.
To marry, countless non-
Orthodox couples, the
majority of Israel's popula-
tion, must adhere to certain
Orthodox traditions and
rituals. These include de-
termining a wedding date
based on the bride's
menstrual cycle, classes on
religious purity laws, a visit
to the ritual bath and a tra-
ditional delineation of

Orthodox couples
must adhere to
certain traditions.

gender roles in the ceremony
and marriage contract, the
ketubah.
The Reform and Conser-
vative movements said that
in the last six months they
have had about 150 requests
for their ceremonies.
Some couples are drawn to
their alternatives, they said,
because they are forbidden
by the Orthodox to marry,
such as a Kohen, a member
of the priestly class, and a
divorcee.
An Orthodox marriage is
also off-limits to an increas-
ing number of immigrants
from the former Soviet
ORTHODOX page 118