A sharp difference of opinion developed among Ministers participating in today’s Cabinet session over the legal definition of a Jew. The matter arose over the Ministry of Interior’s instructions to its staff to accept at face value the statement of any applicant for an identity card that he is Jewish. This was disputed by representatives of the religious groups.
Israel Bar Yehuda, Minister for Interior, asserted that his staff is unable to investigate the intricacies of religious affiliation and must, therefore, accept the applicant’s statement. The religious representatives insist that whether a man is a Jew or not can be decided according to the qualifications outlined in Jewish law. They add that an individual’s religious affiliation is as important in such matters as verifying his correct age or other personal data, since the country’s laws affecting personal status are the same as those of the Jewish religion.
The discussion was suspended when Premier David Ben Gurion named a Ministerial Committee to study the legal aspects of the Ministry of Interior directive. In effect, this action will hold up the Ministry order with regard to the identity cards and, it is believed, put the whole matter into abeyance until after the next national elections.
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