I've written previously about some of the weird - nay, anti-human - practices and beliefs of fanatic Muslims. Today, it is the Jews' turn. Soon, it will be Christians other than the nuts from the Westboro Baptist Church. There is just something about really believing in something that cannot be proven that makes people say and do strange things.
The ultra-Orthodox seem to be growing in power in Israel, where matters pertaining to marriage, divorce and conversions are the exclusive province of the rabbinical court system. In the last twenty or so years hundreds of thousands have have immigrated to Israel. Just about all claim to be Jews, but some find it hard to prove this and the government has had a program to help these people become Jews.
Love is also one of the reasons why some people move to a country. That was why Yael moved from Denmark fifteen years ago. When she and her lover decided to get married, Yael went through a year-long process of becoming a Jew. They married, had kids, raised those kids as Jews and life went on. That is, until her husband wanted a divorce. He filed his claim with the rabbis and the case was eventually heard.
Many of the issues of interest to the rabbis concerned sex, such as did the couple have sex during and after menstruation. But, the rabbis were not being prurient, as just about all religions have this great concern about the matter. Anyway, the divorce was a simple matter. Yael and her husband were never married since she was never a Jew; I guess they determined her non-Jewishness by her answers to their questions. Since she was not a Jew, her kids could not be.
I'm sure this all makes sense to true believers. It makes no sense to me and some Israelis have started talking about having secular system to review matters of marriage and divorce.
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