Dalya Lavie, the Israeli film actress, married her American fiance at Shavei Zion last night in what was described as a typical Hollywood wedding–with photographers and TV crews outnumbering the guests. Moreover, up to the last minute it was touch and go on whether the wedding would actually take place.
Miss Lavie, who has appeared in numerous films abroad and is also a popular singer, didn’t reckon with Israel’s Orthodox rabbinate when she applied for a license several days ago. The local rabbi demanded proof that her fiance, boat-builder Peter Rittmaster, is indeed Jewish and if so, that he is not a Cohen, a descendant of the ancient priestly caste.
Orthodox rabbis, who have sole jurisdiction over personal matters in Israel, refuse to sanction marriages where one partner is not Jewish. Because Miss Lavie was previously married, the rabbis would not permit her, as a divorcee, to marry a Cohen. Rittmaster had to cable his American rabbi and his family in the U.S. for proof that he is Jewish, single and not a Cohen. The documents arrived in the nick of time and the rabbinical authorities gave their blessing.
Miss Lavie chose to be wed in the resort town of Shavei Zion where she was raised.
The tug Tirzch of Ashdod went to the rescue of a 30,000-ton tanker disabled 30 miles at sea last night and towed her safely to port for repairs. The name and nationality of the vessel whose engines broke down was not immediately reported. The Tirzch’s crew will share in salvage money.
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.
