The Debate About Marijuana is Everywhere…

In Donna Rosenthal’s The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land, Chapter 18 is titled, “Hookers and Hash in the Holy Land”.  Rosenthal goes in depth about the drug and sex trafficking that is going on with the Israeli people. Every country faces these issues. Sex trafficking that occurs within Israel, Rosenthal explains that they are mostly not Israelis; instead they are illegally coming into the country with fake passports and identification cards. As for the drugs, it is not only on a local level but an international level. The drug of use in Israel ranges from marijuana, ecstasy, to cocaine. The Israeli youth are just as into marijuana but they are also into ecstasy.  Rosenthal also quotes the Israel Anti-Drug Authority (IADA) saying that, “Tel Aviv is now in the same league as Amsterdam or New York in terms of soft drugs”(p. 394).  There was one line in the chapter that really captures the entire purpose Rosenthal presumably was trying to inform the readers; which David Ben-Gurion said. He believed, “When Israel has prostitutes and thieves we’ll be a state just like any other”(p. 382). The point is, is that Israel is like every other country.  

In the drug section of this chapter, I noticed that Rosenthal was discussing the drug trade a lot and the use of ecstasy and cocaine among Israelis. I was curious as to what the issue is with Marijuana since in the United States people have such strong opinions about its legality. Well, Israel has a lot of the same viewpoints! Although the United States and Israel face similar issues today about recreational use, Israel is actually one of the pioneers that legalized marijuana for medical use. According to The American Botanical Council which is a website about herbal medicine information, Israel has been providing medicinal marijuana since 1995. The article informs that since 2012, there have been around 9,000 medicinal cannabis prescriptions. Dr. Baruch who is the Deputy Director explains that the purpose of the medicinal marijuana was to help those in need that don’t have any other option for relief. They too enjoy the recreational high like people who do not need it medically.  The article explains that any patients are prescribed for chronic pain.  Also, it states that Israel is more accepting of marijuana as a medical purpose.

The issue of legalizing Marijuana has come up recently within the past few years in Israel.  In Haaretz news, earlier this month, there was an article released about “The Israel Police’s to-do about pot smoking”.  The article gave examples of famous Israeli celebrities that smoke Marijuana for recreational use. They also make it very clear that they do not see an issue with it and the police should not be concerned about it as well.  Fashion designer Motty Reif and actress Keren Mor casually admitted to their use of marijuana. Reif goes on to express that the recreational use of soft drugs should be more accepted.  The article also mentioned the IADA admitting that marijuana has not influenced criminal behavior unlike other hardcore drugs.  These same viewpoints have been expressed in the United States and various other countries.  The other point of this article was that the police should use their man power on more serious issues than searching for a person who is smoking a joint. Police can use their resources to bust bigger drug issues such as cocaine versus marijuana.

On April 20^th of this year there was a protest in Israel called the “Big Bong Night” . The Times of Israel covered the incident reporting that thousands rally in Jerusalem for pot legalization.  With the savvy use of technology this Facebook event organized around 2,000 protestors near the Knesset. Some of the demonstrators smoked publicly as they were actively protesting.  The article goes on to say that earlier that week members of the Knesset have admitted to smoking marijuana as well. Aside from this, former attorney general Menachem Mazuz also was mentioned in the article saying that the pursuit of soft drug arrest from the police is a waste of law enforcement.

The articles about recreational use make a point that the police should put their energy in other serous issues in the state than looking for people who smoke marijuana for recreational purposes. The issue of legality for personal use is yet to be determined in Israel, however it is interesting to know that Israel has long history of providing marijuana for medical purposes.

The Bride and Groom in Israel

Marriage is a ceremonial union that brings two people together. In Israel, marriage is also defined intensely by religious traditions. Religion is an extreme factor in a marriage ceremony and recognition in the country. The book, The Israelis by Donna Rosenthal, goes into depth of all the different religious people and their marriage traditions in Israel. If a person is Jewish, Ultra Orthodox, Orthodox, Secular, Christian or Muslim, he or she must be recognized by their religious courts in order to have a marriage ceremony recognized or performed in the state of Israel. Amongst all these religious groups, the Jews and the Muslims had the most traditional rituals that were expected to be performed and present in a marriage ceremony by a couple. Based on my reading from Rosenthal’s chapter on marriage (Chapter 16), I feel that the Jewish people in Israel seem to experience the strictest rules with their religious courts and rabbis, even more so than the Muslims. Rosenthal stated certain guidelines that a Jewish couple must follow in order to be considered to marry by the rabbinate. One being, the niddah course which is a set of laws about family purity when a woman can actually have sex with her husband (p.344). In addition to this, it is emphasized that a couple should not get married if the bride is on her menstrual cycle. In some cases, Rosenthal described how some marriages were not recognized in Israel because of the destination or by what Rabbi held the ceremony.

The strictness on who is entitled to marry a Jewish couple is a hot issue to this day in Israel. Rosenthal’s book was written in 2003. Ten years later, these same issues are quite relevant in Israel among the Jewish communities and want modernization.  Within these past few years, there are articles written about how the law should be changed and people should have the freedom to choose who can marry them. In the Times of Israel, the Knesset set to pass marriage registration reform, which was written by Haviv Rettig Gur. The article discusses the intent of the Tzohar law and how it will push for major reform in marriage registration.  The Knesset bill passed 56-13. This was seen as a positive way to face the Orthodox rabbis and give Jewish couples more marriage freedom. In the article, Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin said this law would be more optimistic in the traditional and secular Jewish communities.  Even though there are positive reactions, there are negative responses to this new bill as well. Haredi activists reacted negatively with the passing of the bill. The Haredim believed that the intent of the bill was there to weaken the position of the rabbis.

 In the article, Rabbis in Israel Quarrel over the nixing of Registration Zones by Jeremy Sharon, he writes about the law as well that has been passed in Israel over marriage. This article was published in the Jerusalem Post in March 2014.  The Tzohar law passed in late February this year abolishing marriage registration zones. This law has allowed couples to now register at any rabbinate they choose to versus which city they are a resident in. The article goes on to say that thousands have already taken advantage of this new law. Even though this is a serious blow to the rabbinate and their strict tradition, this is easier for secular couples to register for marriage. Modern Jewish couples have gained leverage over where they want to marry and by which rabbinate by this new law. 

Both articles mention the advantage that the Jewish people have gained over the rabbinate. Not that they are overthrowing the positions of the Jewish Rabbis in a marriage ceremony, they are emphasizing the significant right to more marriage freedom by the passing of the Tzohar law.  This is change and reform in a long held tradition among Jews in marriage recognition in the state, however, I think this change is necessary since there are diverse practicing Jews from the Orthodox to the Secular Jews.  After reading Rosenthal’s chapter on marriage and researching these two articles I feel like there is tension between prospective Jewish couples and the rabbis. The Tzohar law allows Jewish couples to freely choose whom to marry them and where to register their wedding, which is still keeping it traditional, but with a minor twist.