FAMILY LAW DAILY NEWS

What do mamzerim must face in Israel?

In honor of this week’s Torah part of Ki Tetze, who speaks about Mamzerim (people born from certain forbidden relationships or incest), parishioners gathered in 10 Orthodox synagogues on Saturday and gave lessons on the subject.

Mamzer is a status given to children born out of relationships prohibited by Judaism, such as incest or a man’s relationship with his wife’s or ex-wife’s sister.

Mamzerim are also children born to women who are considered to be the wife of another man – which means that this status often affects women who are refused a divorce (Jewish certificate of divorce) from their husbands, since all children are from one other union would be referred to as Mamzerim. A mamzer’s child is also considered a mamzer.

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if (window.location.pathname.indexOf (“656089”)! = -1) {document.getElementsByClassName (“divConnatix”)[0].style.display = “none”;} else if (window.location.pathname.indexOf (“/ israel-news /”)! = -1) {document.getElementsByClassName (“divConnatix”)[0].style.display = “none”; var script = document.createElement (‘script’); script.src = “https://player.anyclip.com/anyclip-widget/lre-widget/prod/v1/src/lre.js”; script.setAttribute (‘pubname’, ‘jpostcom’); script.setAttribute (‘Widgetname’, ‘0011r00001lcD1i_12258’); document.getElementsByClassName (‘divAnyClip’)[0].appendChild (script);} Currently, those who are referred to as Mamzerim by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, or who are at risk of being referred to as Mamzerim, face numerous challenges in Israel. The most famous limitation of the Mamzerim is that they can only marry other Mamzerim or converts. Lesser known issues arising from status have to do with who is listed as the father of a child when the state believes a child can be called a mamzer.

Israeli law requires that a woman’s rightful husband be listed as the father of her child, even when clearly not; Children born within 300 days of a woman’s divorce are also registered as children of their ex-husband, according to the Tears of the Oppressed Forum, a think tank working to find a solution to this problem and this taboo – Spread topic in the foreground of the conversation to further promote a solution.

If the woman refuses to name her ex-husband as the father, the child is considered to be fatherless.

The subject was at the center of discussions about civil marriage as Israeli law requires its citizens to marry through their respective religious institutions. There is no civil marriage in the country.

This makes it particularly difficult for some couples to marry officially recognized, be it due to documentation problems, a lack of information or simply a lack of identification with the religious system with which they are identified.

Fifth grade students returned to school today at Alomot Elementary School in Efrat, where religious and secular students study together. Middle school kids went back to school today after a few weeks of home study. February 21, 2021. (Photo credit: GERSHON ELINSON / FLASH90)

These regulations are supposed to protect children from the harmful Mamzer status, but in reality they not only create an often dangerous situation for children, but the laws usually offer no protection as the rabbinate continues to determine against registrations to be married, so that Forum.

These laws lead to situations where a child’s life is controlled by someone unrelated to them, often by someone who is estranged from or has a strained relationship with their mother. This puts them at serious risk of numerous types of abuse. A man listed as the child’s father can influence a number of important factors, such as medical treatment and obtaining a passport for the child.

The laws also prevent a child from receiving maintenance or inheritance from their biological father if they are not legally registered as the child’s father.

Mamzerut (illegitimacy) is “the most difficult moral issue in Judaism of our time,” said Rivkah Lubitch, head of the Forum of Tears of the Oppressed and Rabbinical Court.

Lubitch told the Jerusalem Post that because of the harm that can be done to them by people who know their status, Mamzerim have no lobby of their own and cannot fight for their own rights. The forum should be a mouthpiece for them and find a solution to their challenges.

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