Old anti Semitism survives in France's Government - French consulates won't recognize weddings by West Bank rabbis
By MICHAEL FREUND
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The French consulates in Jerusalem and Haifa are refusing to recognize Jewish wedding ceremonies, including those performed in pre-1967 Israel, if the presiding rabbi happens to be a resident of Judea, Samaria, or the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
In one recent case, Martine D., a Frenchwoman who converted to Judaism and married an Israeli in a ceremony in Jerusalem, approached the French Consulate to apply for a livret de famille, an official document which records the status and details of one's family members.
Martine's request was turned down, she was told, because the rabbi who performed the ceremony lives in Gush Etzion.
"The woman at the consulate told me that even though I was married in Jerusalem, the French government does not recognize it because the marriage certificate bears the signature and heading of a rabbi from Gush Etzion, which she said is occupied territory," Martine said.
"They told me I must apply to the Ministry of the Interior in France to seek a special exemption. This is ridiculous. Why should it matter where the rabbi who oversaw the ceremony lives?"
A spokeswoman for the French Consulate confirmed that its policy is not to recognize marriage certificates issued by the Chief Rabbinate's local branches in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip.
"This is our policy and it is not new. France does not recognize such marriage certificates, because it is the location of the rabbinate issuing the certificate that matters."
Asked about the policy, Jerusalem Consul Jacques Yves Raimbault would say only that the woman in question should make an appointment to see him, and that he would review her file.
jpost.com |
