Jerusalem – Minister of Finance Yair Lapid said on Monday that he would be very upset if his son married a non-Jew against the background of a mixed Jewish-Arab wedding that has ignited debate on the issue.
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He was speaking on Radio Galei Yisrael about the storm surrounding the wedding of an Arab man, Mahmoud Mansour, to a woman, Morel Malka, who converted from Judaism to Islam and the protest that was staged outside the hall where the wedding reception was held Sunday night.
Asked on the radio show whether or not the conversion of a Jewish woman in order to marry bothered him; he replied in the affirmative.
“If my son would come to me tomorrow and say ‘Dad, I want you to meet not Rina but Rona and she’s [Christian] Orthodox, or Catholic and I’m marrying her and the children won’t be Jewish,’ would this bother me? It would really bother me,” Lapid said.
“I think the Jewish people is small, I think we have a heritage, I think we need to preserve it, and this bothers me.”
The finance minister did however express his opposition to the Lehava organization that brought public attention to the mixed marriage and protested at the wedding party Sunday night.
“When I look at the people who protested outside this wedding, they didn’t bring great honor to the Jewish people. This is an ugly group and it was an ugly protest and a people which suffered racism more than any other people needs to demonstrate a great deal more tolerance towards the other, even if the way the ‘other’ acts upsets it.”
The wedding and the protestations of the Lehava anti-assimilation organization has sparked a fierce debate regarding inter-marriage and personal freedom in Israel, with rabbis, politicians and other public figures all weighing in on the controversy.
Speaking on Army Radio, Shas chairman MK Arye Deri said Morel had betrayed her people and criticized Health Minister Yael German (Yesh Atid) for congratulating them on their wedding and attending the event last night.
“In my opinion, a young man or woman who change their faith betray their people. She [Morel] doesn’t deserve a commendation for having converted to Islam,” Deri said. “Rabbanit Yael German goes their to say mazal tov? What is that supposed to be? With all due respect, this young woman betrayed her people.”
Chairman of the Tzohar national religious association of rabbis Rabbi David Stav emphasized the importance of fighting inter-marriage while at the same time conducting the task in an appropriate manner, and strongly criticized Lehava.
“We must not fight assimilation by besmirching people or hostility towards someone who isn’t Jewish because it’s not just and it won’t work,” Stav said.
“To create a people which does not assimilate we need to educate towards values that will enhance the importance us as a nation, the meaning of our existence as a people and the essence of the relationship between personal happiness and our obligations to the people. Only through positive action will we succeed in reducing the rate of assimilation.”
why!! if in his mind jews are only a group of people grandchildren of one person why is it a big deal……….. well in my mind jews are a group of people sharing one boshefer one torah
Its true we must fight assimilation. But are we accomplishing anything by standing outside a wedding hall and protesting. You think the bride & groom will now change thier mind? All it does is cause a chillul hashem.
The Rebbe said they will hand the country to the arabs on a silver tray, so these so called leaders are handing them Jewish girls without a fight, the smart arab does not have to kidnap he gets it for free with some sickos wishing mazeltov
Mr Lapid: I really feel that your son would marry a non-Jewish woman. I would make every effort to personally congratulate him and her for their choice. At least that way, your despicable family would end.
Too late she already has his name tattooed on to her.
Theocracy. Their marriage is no one’s concern but theirs.