NEWS President of Italian Rabbis on Civil Unions: “We Heed the Signals of the Society, but Our Benchmark is Halakhah”

By Pagine Ebraiche Staff

The Italian Senate approved the first law granting legal recognition to civil unions last week. The law includes provisions both for same-sex couples and for unmarried couples. The president of Italian Rabbinical Assembly rav Giuseppe Momigliano told Pagine Ebraiche that while the signals of the society are to be heeded, the benchmark for Orthodox Judaism is Halakhah.

“We acknowledge this new bill which is struggling to find its way to be approved by the Italian Parliament. As Italian citizens, we cannot avoid the responsibility of reading and interpreting the signals that come from society, from political forces and institutions. Therefore we have the highest respect for all these different opinions, including within our own communities. However, something must be clear: the educational line of Orthodox Judaism is based on Halakhah, the Jewish law,” rav Momigliano said.

“Jewish law cannot change because external forces point to a different path. For instance, we would not modify the Ten Commandments, if adultery was decriminalized,” he highlighted.

Rav Momigliano also stressed the importance of maintaining a balance between an effort towards education and an open confrontation with the society with its different voices.