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November 21st, 2006, 12:47:02 PM
Gay Israeli couples credit Toronto
Ultra-orthodox party derides ruling as 'defilement'
Nov. 21, 2006. 10:13 AM
MITCH POTTER
MIDDLE EAST BUREAU
JERUSALEM – Five Israeli couples are praising Toronto today, crediting the city of their nuptials and Canadian law for sparking a landmark Israeli high court ruling recognizing gay marriage.
In a vote of 6 to 1, Israel’s High Court of Justice yesterday decreed the Toronto-wed couples are to be registered as married under Israel’s population registry. The precedent-setting decision entitles them to the same status as heterosexual Israel couples who marry abroad, including tax benefits and the legal right to adopt children.
"I have such good feelings today for Toronto and all of Canada for being our light against the darkness," said Sefi Bar-Lev, 40, who married Yaron Lahav, 29, his partner of nine years in Toronto on Gay Pride Day 2003.
"This is a great step forward. But we are still at the beginning. The law in Israel is opening up, but whether you are gay or heterosexual, the rule here is still that unless you want to marry the religious Orthodox way, you must still leave the country to get married," said Bar-Lev.
"So there is more struggle ahead to win the right to have civil ceremonies in Israel. But today we can see there is momentum in the right direction."
Marriage in Israel is no easy task even for straight couples, due to religious laws that deny permission for almost all but the most Orthodox Jewish weddings.
Despite decades of political efforts to accommodate the marital desires of the country's burgeoning secular population, Israeli marriage law remains unchanged. The tense status quo leaves a sizeable portion of the country with no option but to wed outside the country - in nearby Cyprus, as often as not.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1164106916098&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home
Ultra-orthodox party derides ruling as 'defilement'
Nov. 21, 2006. 10:13 AM
MITCH POTTER
MIDDLE EAST BUREAU
JERUSALEM – Five Israeli couples are praising Toronto today, crediting the city of their nuptials and Canadian law for sparking a landmark Israeli high court ruling recognizing gay marriage.
In a vote of 6 to 1, Israel’s High Court of Justice yesterday decreed the Toronto-wed couples are to be registered as married under Israel’s population registry. The precedent-setting decision entitles them to the same status as heterosexual Israel couples who marry abroad, including tax benefits and the legal right to adopt children.
"I have such good feelings today for Toronto and all of Canada for being our light against the darkness," said Sefi Bar-Lev, 40, who married Yaron Lahav, 29, his partner of nine years in Toronto on Gay Pride Day 2003.
"This is a great step forward. But we are still at the beginning. The law in Israel is opening up, but whether you are gay or heterosexual, the rule here is still that unless you want to marry the religious Orthodox way, you must still leave the country to get married," said Bar-Lev.
"So there is more struggle ahead to win the right to have civil ceremonies in Israel. But today we can see there is momentum in the right direction."
Marriage in Israel is no easy task even for straight couples, due to religious laws that deny permission for almost all but the most Orthodox Jewish weddings.
Despite decades of political efforts to accommodate the marital desires of the country's burgeoning secular population, Israeli marriage law remains unchanged. The tense status quo leaves a sizeable portion of the country with no option but to wed outside the country - in nearby Cyprus, as often as not.
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1164106916098&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154&t=TS_Home