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From: jho@ihuxn.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: Re: Coercion or Democracy?
Message-ID: <995@ihuxn.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 16-Mar-85 20:54:44 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxn.995
Posted: Sat Mar 16 20:54:44 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 18-Mar-85 01:11:46 EST
References: <146@pyuxww.UUCP> <979@ihuxn.UUCP> <515@sfmag.UUCP> <991@ihuxn.UUCP> <1256@aecom.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 22

> > For example, if a Jewish guy has the name Cohen, Katz, or Rappaport,
> > he cannot marry a divorced women, because the religious law forbids it. 
> 
> 	The reason for this is not descrimination against people called Cohen
>  or Katz or Rappaport. The idea is that these are usually surnames of Kohanim,
>  priests, who the Torah forbade to marry a divorcee. ( I'm just giving the 
>  reason, not getting involved with whether this should be enforced. The
>  article made this statement seem arbitrary ).
> 
> 			Eliyahu Teitz.

I don't think it is very important to "Mr. Cohen", who wishes to marry a
divorced woman in Israel, that his ancestors were priests.  His only desire
is to get married to his sweetheart. Yet, the law in Israel does not allow 
him to do so.  I am not suggesting that the state should force the Orthodox
to change the religious laws to permit the marriage of "Mr. Cohen".  I am 
requesting that the state should permit civil marriages and divorces, 
so people such as "Mr Cohen" could get married in Israel.
-- 

Yosi Hoshen, Bell Laboratories
Naperville, Illinois, (312)-979-7321, Mail: ihnp4!ihuxn!jho