Anybody who has been married in Israel knows that marriage can be a nightmare, embarrassing, humiliating experience when you are in the hands of the haredim. You don't know the personality of the person in charge of your file until you get him - I had a great guy, others have had nightmares. Getting married should be a blessing and a happy experience. Unfortunately the current system puts too many people on trial and threatens them - all because they want to get married. Not to mention that haredi people get a "pass" and even get a discount on the fee. The sins are too many to list here, but if the haredim want to keep control then they should get their act together and serve the Jewish people rather than judging them. I can't see it happening, and that means civil marriage must be made available because the haredim will not change their corrupt and money-grubbing ways.

People point out particular issues. It would be helpful for the marriage issue to change, even though marriage is only between a man and a woman. That vile Gay Pride parade should be outlawed. It's a disgrace and makes Israel look like a perverted ass. In the same category as homosexuality and beastiality is prostitution and the contributing human trafficing. Remember Moses, remember the 12 tribes and remember the results of the forbidden and abominations. Remember Isaac's blessings to Jacob and Esau. Is there a detailed list of lands Jews lost in Arab land is this reestablishment of the state of Israel? There's talk about areas from Egypt, Yemen, Morroco, Iraq etc. and fertile crescent area.

Watch the divorce rate soaring once civil marriage is introduced with broken families as result. Covenant is not always easy, but a blessing. to embrace it.

I'd like to know how we would be sure we are marrying a Jewish spouse. Until now these vigorous checks are there to give us that ability to be sure. If the idea is for converts under Reform to be accepted by the state who don't believe in the Oral Torah and civil Marriage to be accepted by them as well, then we are going to have some serious issues down the line. Say your son comes home with a nice Russian girl or convert by reform. Would you be happy for them to take the chance of getting Married and hope they are Jewish. I want you to think how it would feel for a girl who converted reform to be suddenly rejected when the truth comes out that she is not actually jewish and the family want to break off a wedding. This is not fair for either parties. It is Halacha that defines what a Jew is and if the issue is how the Charedi Rabbis operate, then the change should be to introduce more Modern Rabbis who are well learned in Halacha to fix the system. To just allow all faiths will cause so much chaos and this will bring the split of Israeli Unity.

Which part of JEWISH BState is so hard to understand. Jewish is jewish, not civil. 613 mitzvot...non-negotiable. Live as you like and welcome to Israel to all Jews, but if you need the security of American laws, perhaps that is where youy should live. It is Hashem's laws that take precedence in Israel...the Jewish state!

For years, minority groups in the Israeli public have been forcing themselves on each and every individual on his or her most personal moments. They have been using Torah and Judaism as an excuse to hold on to this political power. This has caused most Israelis to feel distaste towards Torah and Judaism and thus go against these values. Only civil marriage and letting the individual choose her or his approach to being Jewish will allow Jewish values to flourish in Israel.

The corrupt, parasitic ultra-orthodox cult in Israel has forfeited their claim to be the sole interpreters of what HaShem has to say on marriage or anything else. They can not be disloyal to the state at everybody elses expense, refusing the serve, living off welfare, demanding the right to be full-time professional "Torah scholars", and rejecting the authority of the Jewish state or its legitimacy. Never in Jewish history has there been this nonsense - all the great people of the Torah had jobs and fought to defend the Jewish people. If the haredim refuse to live as equals among the rest of israelis, they can give up the right to vote and hold political office - and to dictate to taxpayers who support them how everybody should live. The public has seen through this self-serving fraud, and they refuse to be ruled by haredi crooks. Lapid is right. If the haredim refuse to reform their ways, they can go back to Lithuania or Satu-Mare and seen if this conduct would be tolerated. America does not tolerate this, not from Jews, or Christians or anybody else. The haredim have no right to determine what "Jewish" means - especially since their way of defining it by "coincidence" puts their hands in everybody elses pockets. This is not Judaism, and never has been - anywhere. The Lubavitch hassidim have it right - they work, they serve in the IDF, they don't steal welfare money for fake "yeshivas", and they are better, more honest Torah scholars than the self-styled "ultra-orthodox".

I cant understand what is the problem with the civil marriage? It is not a must it is a possibility.

Yes- in other countries a jewish wedding is not accepted legally- but also not a Christian wedding. There are religious weddings and everyone als needs to get married civil if they want to be legally accepted. In Israel there's no civil wedding and only the orthodox wedding is legally accepted. Means that many people can't get married!!!!

And by the way- I am not religious, I am even a "shikse" and I love my jewish husband and he loves me and our marriage is by no way adulterous... even if it's hard to believe for you!

are not aware of the facts on ground. Do you all know that mizrachim from India, Russia and other far-east country jews face problems to get married via rabbanuth. In south of Israel there is no problem but few cities in north & Jerusalem are not ready to register them or marry them as they are told bluntly that they (ashkenazi rabbanim) do not consider them as jews (even if in their t.z. it is written as jews)? Have you ever seen all those documentaries of all those women who are waiting for 20+, 30+ years to get divorce & crying that their whole life is wasted as there is no civil marriage possibility? Have you seen those women who did not bring children as they got married out of country & did not wanted their children to be called bastards? Have you seen all those widowed women blackmailed by their brother-in-law to go through the disgusting ceremony (like she opens shoe-lace of his shoe and spits on his back), so that she can get married again? Did you take in to consideration all those women whose husbands have ran away & they are stuck & called as married without any help from special social security benefits? Do you know that couples who got married out of country, in their t.z. it is still written single or divorced as per their previous status & their children are called bastareds? According to the statistics there are thousands & thousands of women stuck without any hope in this black hole. We not only want but need & demand civil marriage/divorce.

I do not pretend to be religious and have always thought religion and politics do NOT make a good cocktail. Jews can beleive in the faith, keep mitzvot etc, but still realise this is 2013 and it now the time of the young people in Israel. Us oldies have had our time, and from what I see things have been going downhill for a while now. Time to wake up, we do not need our version of Shaira Law, but for those that choose it, thats OK, just allow others a choice. Hopefully this will unite rather than seperate.

After having so long blackmailed politics in Israel, eventually someone arrived who has the guts to speak out clearly! Kol hakavod Lapid!

women of faith like Dinah, daughter of the Patriarch Jacob, and Tamar, daughter of King David remained desolate in their family's home and there is no indication that desolation ever ended after they were defiled by rape? That was a lifelong sorrow that did not end until they were delivered by HaShem to eternal glory. At least the people you speak of are able to be sorrowful. In the old days, they would have been put to death.

it was not lawful (to HaShem) for him to be married to his brother Philip's wife (after the divorce of Philip and Herodius) DURING HER FIRST HUSBAND'S LIFETIME. That is HaShem's standard. You are not subject to the Torah if you do not love HaShem and you do not want to obey HaShem's Torah. That is your choice. HaShem's definition of adultery is not yours. The way you choose is not the narrow path of afflictions to eternal life of your soul. Most people are like you and do not want to go to HaShem's Kingdom. You are smart in the ways of HaSatan. He loves for you to be so smart in his ways. You love your Jewish husband more than you love HaShem. That is like most people. Most people love someone or something more than HaShem and His Torah. But most people go to hell when they die. Most people are eternally separated from HaShem. You will have lots of company in hell.

Scientists have no explanation for the existence of the universe. Even the "Big Bang" theory is being revised because of the accelerating expansion of the universe indicates an "exterior" attraction rather than a "non-existent explosion". The Creator, discerned logically (and reasonably correctly) by our ancient Patriarchs in Torah she-Bikhtav, is ha-Sheim. Therefore, Medieval Laws that contradict the Orderly (Logical) Creator of the universe can NEVER be valid Torah she-B'al Peh (Halakhah). Contrasted against the Creator, pontifications by Ultra-Orthodox Khareidim contradicting "halacha" constitute blasphemy, khilul ha-Sheim and idolatry, NOT Halakhah. Israel needs to dump ignorance-dependent, hate-mongering, contradictors of the Orderly (Logical) Creator -- sons of darkness -- to pursue, instead, the valid Halakhah of the most intelligent and highly educated Jews who work and serve, indivisibly, their community as well as the Orderly (Logical) Creator of our universe -- sons of Light.

You talk about god & still want to seat on his chair & give judgement who goes to heaven & who goes to hell? Do you know no.40 personally? On what basis do you characterize her & call her names? May be she is doing lot of social service, helping poor. May be she is a gem of a person & serving people & god at her best. Who gave you right to decide that god is going to judge her according to her marrige status & not as person she is? You have a very very sick mind. Religion is not a property of haredim. Period. You can live & follow stone age rules & regulations as you please but you do not have any right to decide how the other person should live.

Thank god I did not read them & do not wish to read them. It is very sad what happend to them. Abuse & murder on the name of religion. People should not try to apply stone age unjustified rules in 21st centuary. I am borne in this period & not satisfied with only 'able to express my sorrow' but want right to fight it and have right to be happy (and not sorrowful). The issue of internal glory, leave that subject to god to judge. Even I am a women of faith that all this injustice will stop one day.

....in certain aspects, but not Torah! Haredim are the ONLY group who keeps Torah . Christianity was invented because a certain Lapid of those times wanted to adapt Judaism to peoples and not vice versa.Well...we know how the criation of a new religion ended up to Jews. Muslims did the same. There are lots of strange sects around the world which try to root themselves in Judaism and we know what we get from peoples who follow these starnge things. Torah is ONE and its wisdom can not be changed.

I have no problem with religious people whatever their faith is- but what I have a problem with is, that there are people out there who can not accept and tolerate others the way they are. It's sad.

There was no first century "Lapid." You're referring to 2nd-4th century Hellenist (Roman goyim) distortions. Read up.

So now this atheist thinks he is an expert on halacha, Jewish traditions, the Jewish religion. Next he will be issuing pronouncements about legalising idolatry , whilst bread crumbs fall from his mouth on Pesach and Yom Kippur.

I said only haredim,but I correct by saying orthodox judaism ,which includes all orthodox religious.

He wants a haredi draft He wants the word Jew taken from Hatikvah He has taken the side of Women of the Wall with their attempt to turn the Kotel plaza into a reform site Now he wants a civil marriage system. Doesn't matter if you like his policies or hate them its pretty obvious now he has declared a popularist war against religion in this country and probably won't stop until the country has had full separation between religion & state and Israel is a European style religion neutral country

You guys tell then Israel is not Jewish country anymore, but it is simple, not being religious. 95% of my family died in the Holocaust so I really don't believe that god is good to us, and caring as the Torah (which I respect as traidiont) claims. Many Israelis are secular and they are not less than the religious people, especially haredim who do not contribute to the state, just living as parasites.

As long as its connected to the haredi in some way the secular elite will support Lapid on anything. A haerdi draft, Say the Kotel is controlled by hredi and then women of the wall will get what Say the haredi control the marriage system and secular will want change. If he said haredi were responsible for the rain the seculars would be calling to ban the rain. The public support for Lapid and his war on religion has less to do with thinking with would this be a good change or not and more to do with the fact that everybody loves to hate haredi and as far as the secular elite is concerned if it hurts haredi it benefits society. In the case of the marriage issue its not haredi that is responsible for that its the state appointed rabinate and the rabinate are not part of a haredi sect.

I agree with you. We are quick to judge and slow to adhere to tzedaka and mitzvot, kindness, and love, the heart of HaShem. I do not believe HaShem sees 'bastards'. Humans may label a faultless child, or an entire ethnicity, through their embittered filters. No child is 'illegitimate' in the mind of minds. Every life is to be honored and respected. This is in Torah as well.

Shikseh is a filthy word meaning "beast", basically. It is bad enough when Jewish people refer to gentiles with that filthy word, but when gentiles use it themselves unwittingly calling themselves animals, it really bothers me.

You are alraedy separated from Hashem.