Q&A: Marriage of a Secular Jew to a Non-Jewish Woman
Marriage of a Secular Jew to a Non-Jewish Woman
Question
Hello to you, my teacher and rabbi,
The marriage of Tsahi Halevi and Lucy Aharish raised a question for me:
Should a Jew who does not observe Jewish law be expected to have a problem marrying a non-Jewish woman?
May you be blessed with every good thing
Answer
It seems to me that it would be better for you to ask him. From a halakhic standpoint, he is probably not bothered. From a moral standpoint, I do not see any problem with it. What remains is the national dimension, and about that you should ask him whether it bothers him or not. Apparently not (or love outweighs nationality).
Discussion on Answer
It is municipal betrayal if you see value in remaining a Tel Avivi or a Jerusalemite. And it is national betrayal if you see value in remaining Jewish. If not, then in all cases, no.
Interesting, indeed I asked on the assumption that Jewish law does not interest him, but you surprised me with the national consideration. Is there really a sense in which a Frenchman would not marry an Englishwoman because of the national dimension? Sorry for the exaggeration for the sake of clarifying the issue, but if someone from Jerusalem marries someone from Tel Aviv, is that municipal betrayal?