Perquisites for Polygamists

There is no civil law against polygamy in Israel. The Law of the Prophet permits the Moslem Arab minority the privilege of plural wives. The Law of the Rabbis binds Ashkenazi Jews (mostly of Central European origin) to monogamy but does not affect Sephardic Jews (of Spanish, Portuguese and North African origin) or Yemenite Jews (of Arabian origin).

The Yemenite Jews, now 45,000 in number, take their name from the corner of Arabia where they were cut off for centuries from the rest of Jewry. In their isolation they were not touched by the edict of famed Rabbi Gershom Ben Judah ("Light of the Exile"), who, around the year 1000, at a synod in Western Germany, banned polygamy for French and German Jews.* The Yemenites clung to the Old Testament rule of David (at least eight wives), Solomon (1,000 wives and concubines) and Herod (nine wives). Poverty has always limited the custom, and limits it sharply today. The Yemenites are Israel's poorest citizens (mostly farmhands, shoeshine boys, etc.) ; only 1% of them can afford more than one wife.

Last week the subject of Yemenite wives broke into a drowsy committee meeting of Tel Aviv's Knesset (Parliament). Up for study was a bill fixing legislative salaries. One committeeman questioned the $45 monthly allotted for The wife of each Knesset member. What about bounties for the extra wives of Moslem representatives?

Immediately the meeting perked up. A Mapai (Labor) member sharply denounced wages for extra wives, then sneered, "If there are any among us who are doing such immoral things . . ."

It was a barb aimed less at the Arabs than at Israel's own polygamists. Among the legislators were three Yemenites. Only one of them, bearded sexagenerian Abraham Tabib, had ever practiced plural marriage, and one of his two wives had just died. Old Tabib did not take part in the Knesset debate, but his fellow Yemenite, Monogamist Zacharia Gluska, rose to defend the morals of the sect.

"The Torah," he protested, "does not forbid polygamy." Glaring at his Mapai colleague, he shot back: "We don't recognize it as immoral to keep wives at home. It is immoral to have one wife at home and a few other wives on the outside."

Gluska won his point. The committee allowed $15 for each extra wife.

* At the same synod, Rabbi Gershom also decreed it unlawful to open letters addressed to others. This led to the custom, prevalent in Eastern Europe until recently, of marking letters sent by messenger with the initials BHDRG, an abbreviation for "Beherem de Rabbenu Gershom--under the ban of Rabbi Gershom."

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