Jerusalem – Israeli news agency Maariv is reporting that the family of deceased Rabbi Moshe Hirsch, Neturei Karta leader and Minister of Jewish Affairs for the Palestinian Authority, celebrated the engagement of a granddaughter this past Motzei Shabbos. The granddaughter, age 17 ½, is engaged to a yeshiva student, age 15 ½.
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One of the kallah’s uncles told Maariv that the wedding will not take place for a year and that the couple plan to live in Meah Shearim. While the European Council set the minimum age for marriage at 18 in 2005, the legal age for marriage in Israel is 17, and in some cases the Department of Family Affairs will approve the marriage of a 16 year old.
Dr. Yitzchak Kadman, chairman of the Council for the Welfare of the Child, expressed dismay upon hearing about the engagement of the very young couple. In an interview with Maariv Kadman stated, “It is obvious from seeing the history and culture of Israel that we are not living in a third world country, but in this case, Israel seems to be lagging behind many other countries. The age of 17, the minimum age that was set for marriage, was not determined by accident. Young adults who are under 17 do not have the maturity that is integral to making a marriage work and a marriage such as this is destined for failure. It should also be noted that even in Pirkei Avos, chazal set the age for marriage at 18, not 15 ½.”
Video of the Mazal Tov engagement party below.
18 years is the MAXIMUM age, not minimum.
This is what was done for centuries by our ancestors, and now it is condemned? If this is part of these people’s culture, why vilify it. I am sure the young couple consented to the match. Why is this everyone else’s business?
These families are out of their minds. This is no chassan – this is a child. Even in a year when this wedding is to take place, he will still be a child. Child welfare authorities should step in – this is tantamount to child abuse.
and Alice said “Curiouser and curiouser!”
I guarantee that The average of happy marriages are much higher with these people then the secular Israelis
If the parents say it’s ok, and the Rav says it’s ok, then it’s ok by me. It’s a big zchus to marry into this family. The girl won’t be sorry at all.
No 15 1/2 year old bachur is mature enough to make a decision in marriage. He is following his parents orders and so is the kallah. I hope it works out.
15? He looks more like 10!
That kid crying in the background is actually the kallah.
This may actually be the magin bullet to solve the Shidduch crisis! Let 15 year old boys marry “older” girls. Presto! No age gaps.
very nice they should be happy a marry their kids by 13
#1 No one will disagree that this was done by our ancestors. However “One must live with the times”…. I agree if this young man and his bride are at the mature level of our ancestors then this marriage should go forth but its hard to believe that in our day in age we would find a young man and a young woman who are matured enough to build a home together…Dont get me wrong but as I understand even in the Chassidishe circles it caught many by surprise…
May the Almighty bless them with Binyan Adei Ad…
this dr kadman might be a doctor but he’s a big Am Ha’aretz.
13 and latest 
18.
the gemara says that it’s preferrable to marry
Well Rivka married at age of three. (3). Should we allow it as well?
I think that marrying
16 1/2 is perfectly fine for the groom. The bride will be 18 1/2 which is the norm.
the parents acted very normal, and this is no ones business.
This is what happens when you hang around Palestinians too long – you end up living like them, with no regard for the welfare of children. But who cares… let the NK nutjobs ruin themselves.
please everybody put their personal feelings to this family aside and let’s not get carried away from the subject, namely: if kids at age 15 should get engaged.
i don’t want to see any comments here such as: let them be deported to iran or let them make the wedding in gaza.
let’s stay focused on the subject matter
COMMON! There is no law regarding when one should get engaged! Marriage comes after engagement! They dont need any maturity to never see each other for another two years (which is common by charedis) I bet it happened by chilonim many times already! Why pounce on this!
Definitely another agenda than welfare of kid.
This absurd engagement makes sense coming from the neturei kartah, there extreme in all ways, I heard that Abbas is going to be mesadur kiddushin
I was at a rally in times square were all the nk were there screamin with the palistinians. And a frai Israeli came to me with a look of shock not believing that what she was seeing was chasidishe looking Jews protesting with these animals. Oh I’m sure if she had any desire to become more frum it was gone after that. Even though I tried explaining to her that these people were like the eirav rav. Only a few. Guilty by association because no one stands up against them. Off subject I know. But nonetheless
why
the family is the subject matter!
only wack jobs like this crazy family can come up with this
He doesn’t even seem old enough to babysit! Would you trust him with your kids? Give me a break? Who’s house will they live in, or is the wife going to be in charge to wake him up in time for yeshiva and put him on the school bus? He is supposed to be husband with all the responsibilities that goes along with that? Respecting a wife? Being sensitive to her needs? Understanding her emotions and her moods? Going with a sheila to a Rav? Pleaaaaaase!
its ok for the moder’na to have girl freinds at teen age. At least this is mutar lehalach. .
Good Morning. Boker Tov,
This community and thse famillies have been doing it this way in Israel for the last 100 years .
Where were they till now?
Just because now its on video??
When they actually get married the couple will be closer to 17 and 19. They were ENGAGED, not MARRIED.
The sanctimonious tone taken by many on this forum is deplorable. Is it somehow less shameful to note the “activities” participated in my children this age in secular co-ed schools? Why is there no outcry by the “Israeli Child Advocate”?
What have we become that we are not all overjoyed that couples can be married when they are still young, innocent and full of life, instead of the goyishe ideal of selfish hedonism?
Teeanage Relations – OK
Child S Education – OK
Protection Distribution – OK
Teenage Abortions – OK
Teenage Marriage – Wrong
Don’t you all see the farce of these liberals?
Anyone who thinks this is okay needs to have their head examined. Do you think he has the maturity to be a husband and a father? It’s absolutely ridiculous. Sure, this may have been done in the past. So what? You could also buy an eved ivri or eved cannani in the past. Does that mean it’s a good idea to institute it today? Insanity. We no longer allow kids to be kids.
Am I missing something? in the secular world young teens start relationships (not called marriage, has other “friend”ly name..), that perfectly fine, when 2 religious folks wanna marry at an older age (than the typical 2 high school sweethearts start their relationship) then everybody has critic..
Besides the fact that the boy will be 17 when they marry and the kallah almost 19.
Live and let live.
here’s what the gemara says in Kiddushin daf 29:
אמר רב חסדא האי דעדיפנא מחבראי דנסיבנא בשיתסר ואי הוה נסיבנא בארביסר הוה אמינא לשטן גירא בעיניך
people are so sick. he will have an opportunity to be married for many years to come he will not however be able to get his youth back! getting engaged forces responsibility on you and i don’t think any 151/2 yr old teen needs that.
I dont understand why they both cant wait three years for each other, while each one grows up. I think that is more traditional then the little boy playing games.
Sickos. It’s the only word for it. The parents should be shot.
I see most people are responding to this post with the reaction I was expecting.
Lets forget about the ‘wonderful’ mishpucha of the kalla & concentrate only on the ages. I will bet my last dollar, something not too far off complements of Obama, that the naysayers are not Chasidim where young engagements – albeit around 17 or 18 – are VERY common. I have many Chasidishe relatives who were engaged at 17 and married at 18. This is common and just because those on the non chasidishe side of Jews generally wait into the low-mid 20s, it doesn’t make what chasidim do, wrong. Perhaps the proof to that is what happens to many chasidishe bucherim when they are over the hill in their mid 20s.
Hey, Prince William also just announced his engagement. They can have a double wedding! Such nachas!
have they taken her dolls away yet and for as he is concerned he doesnt have the inteligence to know what is happening but then again these are the same people that support the nazi killers of jews around the world they all should be shund not even discussed
This video gave me my laugh for the day. The “chosson” is a baby! His classmates look stunned. They weren’t very convincing when they said Mazel tov, were they? I want to see a picture of the Kallah…what did they have to do to her to get her to agree to marry like this? Him I understand, he’s a little boy & looks like one, but even at 17, she’s more mature emotionally.
Did they let him stay up past his bedtime?
if we focus on the rotzon hashem there’s nothing wrong with this whole arrangement. in fact, being married saves on from Machshovos Zoros and keeps the kedushe in this young innocent boy.
nowadays with such garbage out there people need to do whatever it takes to refrain from Re’ius Asirus which lead to being Motze Zera Levatala ch”v. this new couple deserve an extra applaudance for doing the right thing
MAZEL TOV!
Getting married at 16-1/2?
Shocking! Barbaric! Third World!
It’s almost as bad as the United States, where most states allow people to marry at 16, some states at 15, some at 14 (New York, & others), some even allow as young as 12 (Mass.).
the choson looks like he doesn’t know whats flying. he also looks not excited to be there.
ok i know everyone is thinking it, so I will say it.. what do you think this little boy is thinking about the activities he will get to engage in on his wedding night? what does the young girl think about it? what do his 8th grade classmates think about it? what a joke this is
I don’t say we should call child protective services.
This is what their standards are. Fine with me.
How ever I do feel that most probably this kid is not mature enought to make decisions in life especially when it is his parents which are marrying him off. And he follows them blindly.
I just hope it works out the young couple.
She might eat him up for breakfast.
The fact is that Judaism deems a person a man once he reaches the age of 13. While one might argue that getting married at 13 does not make sense, that is your opinion, which is heavily influenced by the culture you live in. (These people would probably argue that is wonderful to grow into adulthood with someone you can unquestionably rely upon. The divorce rate amongst these people is very low, due to their culture, which causes them all to be quite alike. And if there is a problem, they go their rav to resolve it.) Please be respectful of others’ cultures.
Good for the new couple, wish I would of get married that young… Less everot….
Enjoy
All I see is 2 more children living on government assistance and handouts from us “earners” here in America. Great. Just what we needed.
This is mamash child abuse, no matter how they try to spin it…..the fact that the parents are part of a fringe group of yiddeshkeit makes it only worse. The children should be removed from the parents home and palaced in foster homes or protective custody and the parents investigated for child abuse.
it looks like teh same place where they did “kaporas shlogen”.
I don’t see anything wrong.
As soon as I heard the wonderful news, I went to the local Toys R’ Us and bought them a chassineh presents that will surely be able to use and enjoy.
A Lego set, a sand box and a bottle of bubbles that won’t spill.
maybe its not done for a REASON?
ridiculous
What’s next, having a joint Bar Mitzvah/Wedding?
this kid has no idea whats flying there
The yingele has no hair facial or otherwise.