Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren urged the government today to provide religious services free of charge to Israeli citizens. Addressing the Managers Club here, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi said he thought such services as marriage, burial and kashrut should be provided by the State, although not divorce which involves expenses on both sides. According to Rabbi Goren, the free services would improve the image of religion in all matters connected. with public life.
Rabbi Goren also said he planned to raise the “Who is a Jew?” question with the political parties with a view to amending Israel’s Law of Return so as to stipulate that conversions to Judaism must be made in accordance with halacha–religious law. He said he would ask the various factions to waive party discipline and permit a free vote on this matter.
TEMPLE MOUNT FINDINGS TO BE RELEASED
Rabbi Goren revealed that shortly after the Six-Day War he commissioned a team of Engineers Corps to survey the Temple Mount area, the site of the ancient Temple. He said he hoped the findings would be published shortly. Contrary to the generally accepted halachic view, Rabbi Goren maintains that Jews may walk on certain areas of the Temple Mount. The area contains two major Islamic shrines, the El Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock (Mosque of Omar): Jewish worship there has been prohibited by Israeli authorities.
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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.
