Another Parliamentary clash over the role of religion in Israeli life ended in defeat today for a leftist proposal to institute civil marriages. The vote was 37 to 13 against the proposal presented by Mapam’s Mrs. Emma Talmi.
The proposal received the backing of Mapam, the Communists and some Liberal party deputies. It was opposed by Dr. Zorah Warhaftig, the Minister for Religious Affairs, replying for the government.
Dr. Warhaftig said the proposal would conflict with several existing laws which provide exclusive control to the Israel rabbinate in all matters of personal status for Jews, He called the proposal totally redundant and said a law permitting civil marriages would only create confusion.
Mrs. Talmi, who has unsuccessfully championed the same cause on previous occasions, contended that existing personal status laws were tantamount to coercion for those citizens who did not want to use religious bodies.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
