The proposal of MK Yossi Beilin, one of the senior leaders of
the Labor Party, to totally cancel the religious marriage
laws of the State of Israel, sparked a debate between the
Labor and Likud parities this Pesach, as well as reactions
from religious public figures.
The Migvan column of the Hebrew Yated Ne'eman
quoted extensively from Yossi Beilin's new book, The Death
of the American Uncle, in which he proposes, among other
things, to cancel Israel's religious marriage laws.
Beilin's proposal drew the Likud to respond, "Yossi Beilin
divides the Jewish nation by means of the declarations
appearing in his book, in which he equates the criteria for
joining the Jewish nation with those of joining a social
club. Once more Beilin oversteps all bounds, and seeks to
obscure the 4000-year-old Jewish identity, to the point of
total obliteration. The nationalist self-definition he seeks
to impute to the Palestinians endangers the security of the
State. The definition he wants to ascribe to the Jewish
people undermines the soul of the nation and will rip it to
shreds. It is difficult to understand how Jews who are
concerned about the future of the State of Israel support
Barak, whose mouthpiece is Beilin."
The Labor-One Israel Party, which includes the religious
party, Meimad, was very displeased with Beilin's ideas, and
distanced itself from them declaring, "Yossi Beilin has the
right to express his private opinion, but it does not
represent the position of One Israel."
