Israel’s chief rabbinate dropped a requirement that Jewish brides-to-be undergo lessons on “wifely behavior.” The decision to limit mandatory prenuptial classes to matters dealing directly with the religious wedding ritual was made this week after the High Court of Justice found in favor of a petition filed by the Center for Pluralistic Judaism lobby. Prompted by a television expose on rabbis who force secular prospective brides to hear lectures on how to “properly” tend to their future husbands, the petitioners argued that it was a violation of the freedom of worship. Feminist and non-Orthodox lobbies long have challenged the rabbinate’s grip on life-cycle rituals in the Jewish state.
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