Non-Jewish partners in gay marriage are now entitled to make aliya

[King_David]

Sa'ar announces change to Law of Return which had previously only allowed for heterosexual partners to receive Israeli citizenship.



In a letter published on Tuesday, Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar instructed the Population and Immigration Authority and the Jewish Agency to grant Israeli citizenship to the spouse of any Jew, regardless of the sexual orientation of the couple.

Reaction from the haredi world was swift and scathing, with ultra-Orthodox MKs speaking out against the decision and haredi groups in the US voicing intense criticism.

Under the Law of Return, every Jew is entitled to immigrate to Israel and to gain Israeli citizenship. Clause 4a of the law stipulates that the Right of Return is also applicable to the partner of Jews exercising this right.

In recent years there have been several cases in which a homosexual couple comprised of a Jew and a non-Jew, married legally in their country of origin – usually the US – and then sought to make aliya and immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return.


http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Interior-Minster-Saar-Jews-can-now-make-aliya-together-with-same-sex-partners-370837

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

1. Pink washing still does not excuse the fact that Israel has murdered 448 innocent children.

Have you yet to acknowledge theses deaths yet, Dave?

Perhaps I am wrong, but it seems that you are going to great lengths to bury any stories of this with feel-good stories from the apartheid state.

Am I wrong?

[Scootaloo]

2. Still can't get married in Israel. Weird that Iowa > Israel, huh?

[shaayecanaan]

3. looks like there's still hope for me yet (nt)

[leftynyc]

4. Good news

Thanks for sharing.

[Israeli]

5. Imagine .....

Imagine an Israel in which every couple is free to marry in their county in a ceremony of their choice, whether religious or civil. No one will have to leave the country in order to wed.

Reserve combat soldier returns from war protesting that he cannot marry his fiancée because of Orthodox marriage monopoly

Yet another heartbreaking story about an Israeli couple unable to marry in Israel because of the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate's monopoly on marriage. The answer is simple: freedom of marriage!

As soldiers return home following Operation Protective Edge, the continued challenge of Israel's identity as a Jewish and democratic state is once again at hand. Issues independent of the Palestinians and Hamas that stem from internal Jewish tensions do not go away even at times of war.

Lack of full realization of Israel’s promise for religious freedom and equality continues to threaten to tear Israel apart at its seams. Seemingly these issues are so much easier to resolve, but will we unite to do what’s right and necessary when political deals override human rights and dignity such as in the story below?

The following open letter to Economic Minister Naftali Bennett was recently published on Facebook and went viral in social media, TV, and the press. Shai Fleishon, a combat reserve soldier just returned from a month of fighting in Gaza to face the reality that he and his fiancee cannot marry in the country he just put his life on the line for.

This timely letter demonstrates how crucial freedom of marriage is for Israel's future. It ties directly into the lives of all Israelis and Jews living around the world. As Shai’s case shows, the challenge of freedom of marriage is the challenge of "Who is a Jew" as well, and both of them require a response based on embracing the core principle of freedom of religion.

[English translation from original Hebrew]

My name is Shai. I am an Israeli citizen, 32 years old, and fulfill all of my civic responsibilities. I pay taxes, I obey the law, and I serve in reserves. That's how it goes in a democracy: you have obligations and you also have rights.

But that's exactly the thing, Now, after I've returned from a month of reserve duty after an emergency enlistment with my tank battalion

It turns out that unlike most Israeli citizens, there is a right that has been taken away from me. The right to marry in my homeland. that I serve in (and I'm proud, by the way, to do that), it turns out that unlike most Israeli citizens, there is a right that has been taken away from me. The right to marry in my homeland.

My beloved fiancee, with whom I plan on spending the rest of my life, is an Israeli citizen. She has also fulfilled all of her obligations from paying taxes to serving as a soldier-teacher in the IDF. But unlike me, only her father is Jewish. She made aliyah to Israel alone at age 18, out of Zionist ideals, and she has always seen herself as a part of the Jewish People and recently she even underwent a Reform conversion (through which, by the way, both of us became closer to Jewish tradition).

And here comes the problem. When I contacted the Religious Council where I live (Rishon Letzion), the rabbi responsible explained to me that the Chief Rabbinate does not recognize Reform conversions and besides - the fact that I am a Kohen (of priestly descent) means that it doesn't matter which type of conversion my fiancée underwent, the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate won't permit a marriage between a Kohen and a convert because of restrictions in Jewish Law. When I got in touch with the Interior Ministry, I was informed that there is no legal avenue for my partner and I to marry in Israel without going through the [Orthodox] Chief Rabbinate.

And here is my request to you. I am asking you to help me and my fiancée marry in the State of Israel and in no other country.

We live here, this is our country. We fulfill our obligations through thick and thin, and we want to fully receive our rights that all citizens receive.

Thank you,

Shai Fleishon

Source: http://hiddush.org/article-6647-0-Reserve_combat_soldier_returns_from_war_protesting_that_he_cannot_marry_his_fianc%C3%A9e_because_of_Orthodox_marriage_monopoly_.aspx

[King_David]

7. That's shameful,

They need to change those laws too and defy the Religious just like they did with this one.

[Israeli]

6. Interesting article on .....

.....why now ....and why Gideon Sa’ar .....

@ http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/182133/israel-expands-law-of-return-to-include-interfaith-gay-couples

The decision is especially remarkable because in recent months it appeared as Sa’ar was re-inventing himself as the defender of the state’s Jewish character. Though an avowed denizen of downtown Tel-Aviv, known to even moonlight on occasion as a DJ, Sa’ar alienated many of that city’s secular residents when he effectively outlawed much of the commerce that takes place in the city over Shabbat. Had Sa’ar suddenly found God? After all, he was rumored to have begun keeping the Sabbath himself.

The more likely explanation was more political than personal: Sa’ar, one of Likud’s top leaders, was trying to gain popularity with the ultra-Orthodox in an attempt to eventually lead the party and the country (Prime Minister Netanyahu’s relations with the Haredi parties are at an all-time low after he left them out of his current coalition). But why, then, this latest expansion of the Law of Return, which might offset any political gains from his Tel Aviv maneuvers? It could, of course, be an attempt to win back his largely secular Tel Aviv base. It might also be a preemptive measure: had the matter reached the Supreme Court, Sa’ar would have had trouble explaining why same-sex couples were heretofore excluded.

Most likely, though, is that Sa’ar is betting that he can enjoy the best of both worlds: his decision is surely beneficial to any supporters of LGBT rights, and since it touches upon one of Israel’s holy of holies—the Law of Return—it appears to be a particularly bold move. But once they make aliyah, the law’s new beneficiaries, like many of its veteran beneficiaries, gay and straight alike, will encounter the same schizophrenic establishment generous with the civil rights it affords them while at the same time fiercely protective of the rights that it does not—chiefly, marriage. So long as he stays away from that hot button issue, Gideon Sa’ar has little to worry about.

[King_David]

8. When Gay rights are gained

They are just accepted and received as they were in Israel despite the political ulterior motives.

Changing societies biases is another story as it is in every single country of the world including Scandinavia and Canada and DU.