"The Stamp of Judaism"

In Israel recently an American ex-Army captain tried to marry a Jewess. A rabbi refused to officiate (because the captain was not a Jew); ditto a district commissioner (because he was not a British subject). He was turned down by an Anglican church in Jaffa (because the bride was not a Christian) and by a Greek Orthodox priest (who considered both outside his flock). A ship captain said he could perform the ceremony by taking them on a special trip beyond the three-mile limit. But when he quoted his price, the couple decided it would be cheaper to fly to Europe and be married there.

Last week many influential Israelis were demanding civil marriage for Israel, which now operates under a rule taken over from the British, who decided that only rabbis could perform Jewish marriages in Palestine. Israel's Minister of Religion, aged (72), Judah L. Fishman, set out the counter-demands of the religious groups: enforcement of the Sabbath, adoption of biblical law as the basis for Israel's legal system, and government observance of dietary laws. Said he: "I don't expect to go looking into the cook pots of all the housewives of Israel, but state institutions should have kosher kitchens." He felt that the new state should "have the stamp of Judaism upon it."

Leading the secularist opposition was the United Workers Party (Israel's second largest) which insists on complete separation of church and state. The United Workers last week charged the government with "a design to force religion on the soldiers" by closing army kitchens on Yom Kippur, providing only bread and jam to "thousands of soldiers who did not want to fast." Other secularists demanded a government investigation of an army commander who (they said) had marched 600 soldiers to a synagogue.

Religious Jews were also calling for an official investigation. Two orthodox Jews, cooks in the army, had been sentenced to three months in jail and had had their heads shaved when they refused an order to cook on the Sabbath. (Ben-Gurion revoked the jail sentences, but could do nothing about the sidecurls, particularly precious to orthodox Jews.*) Even Rabbi Fishman, who had been protesting the official use of government cars on the Sabbath, had a complaint to make. His own official automobile--with "Minister of Religion" printed prominently on the windshield--had been seen on the Sabbath cruising about the streets of Tel Aviv.

* Orthodox concern for sidecurls starts with Leviticus, 19:27: "Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard." The Talmud carefully enumerates the corners: two on each cheek, one on the chin. Yemenite Jews often shave their heads, but leave the sidecurls (peoth) untouched.

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