Arrest of Dov Haiyun

Dov Haiyun, a Conservative rabbi, was arrested by Haifa police in July 2018 for performing a non-Orthodox wedding. Though the rabbi was detained only for a few hours, the incident has sparked protests and has brought international attention to an Israeli law that prohibits any traditional Jewish marriage that is not sanctioned by the Chief Rabbinate.[1] Hundreds of people gathered outside the Haifa Rabbinic Court to protest the arrest.[2] While waiting to be interrogated Haiyun posted to his Facebook account: "Iran is here already". A few weeks after the arrest, in early August 2018, Haiyun announced that he has joined the Meretz Party.[3]

Incident

Police reportedly woke Haiyun at his home at 5:30 AM and took him in for questioning. While waiting to be questioned, Haiyun posted: "Iran is here" to his Facebook account. According to Haiyun the Orthodox Rabbinical Court in Haifa had filed a complaint against him for performing unsanctioned weddings. Haiyun was scheduled to appear at a public event at the President's Residence, which led to some speculation that the arrest may have been intended to embarrass Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. A senior advisor to Attorney General Avihai Mendelblit said the police had arrested Haiyun at his home after Haiyun failed to respond to a police summons.[4][5]

Background

The marriage law's restrictions on marriage have long been a point of contention for secular Israelis, who have protested by getting married abroad in neighboring countries like Cyprus. (Weddings performed in Israel by Reform and Conservative rabbis are not recognized by the State of Israel, but Israel does recognize weddings that are performed abroad.) Under a 2013 amendment to the law, rabbis may be also prosecuted if they perform unsanctioned weddings that are not registered with the Chief Rabbinate.[6]

Reactions

The Associated Press reported that Haiyun's arrest was denounced by opposition lawmakers "as a violation of religious freedom".[7] Yair Lapid who heads the opposition party Yesh Atid asked "What does it say about us that Israel has become the only democracy in the world in which Jews don’t have freedom of religion?"[5]The director of Israel Hofsheet (Be Free Israel), a civil rights advocacy organization, said called for the "immediate legislation of a civil marriage law".[4]

The Times of Israel reported that Haiyun's detention had been "castigated by mainstream US Jewry". The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism issued a statement characterizing the incident as "a new and dangerous step in the ongoing attack on religious freedom and civil liberties in Israel." It was similarly criticized by the Presidents' Conference, the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Federations of North America. The Rabbinical Assembly said they were "outraged".[5] In an opinion piece published by The Forward, Brookings Institute fellow Dany Bahar wrote that full freedom of religion in Israel was a "catchy Hasbara talking point" that was "outdated , after Rabbi Dov Haiyun was taken from his home at 5 a.m."[8]

References

  1. ↑ Sales, Ben. "Why Israel nabbed a rabbi for performing a wedding, and why people are incensed". Archived from the original on 2018-07-21. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
  2. ↑ "Protest Held Against Arrest of Conservative Rabbi Who Conducted 'Illegal' Wedding". Haaretz. 2018-07-23. Archived from the original on 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
  3. ↑ "Detained Conservative rabbi to head Meretz Party in municipal elections - Israel News - Jerusalem Post". Archived from the original on 2018-08-10. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
  4. 1 2 "Police detain Conservative rabbi over 'illegal' weddings". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
  5. 1 2 3 Davidovich, Joshua. "Israel's detention of Conservative rabbi castigated by mainstream US Jewry". Archived from the original on 2018-07-21. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
  6. ↑ i24NEWS. "US Jewish groups slam arrest of Conservative rabbi, Israel's nation state bill". i24NEWS. Archived from the original on 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
  7. ↑ "Israeli police detain liberal rabbi over 'illegal' weddings". AP News. Archived from the original on 2018-07-20. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
  8. ↑ Bahar, Dany. "Opinion - Israel's Democracy Is On Life Support. Diaspora Jews Must Speak Up". The Forward. Archived from the original on 2018-07-25. Retrieved 2018-08-12.
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