Mixed marriages between Arab, Jewish celebrities cause uproar in Israel

Lucy Aharish and Tzahi HaLevi

Shlomi Eldar writes in Al Monitor, “Oren Hazan of the Likud is a controversial Israeli lawmaker. It should therefore come as no surprise that he was the first to speak out against the marriage of Arab TV presenter Lucy Aharish to actor Tzahi HaLevi, star of the successful TV series “Fauda.”Jumping to defend HaLevi from being tainted by the scourge of mixed marriage, Hazan wrote in a crass Facebook post, “I am not accusing Lucy Aharish of seducing a Jewish soul in an attempt to harm our state and preventing more descendants of Jews from carrying on the Jewish legacy. That is why she is invited to convert.” To HaLevi, he wrote, “You’ve taken ‘Fauda’ a step too far. Step out of this film, man!”

“According to a Channel 2 investigative report released right before he was elected to the Knesset in June 2015, Hazan ran a casino in Burges, Bulgaria, bought and used heavy drugs and provided his clients with prostitutes. Hazan was suspended from the Knesset floor in January for six months because of his outlandish behavior. If Hazan had been the only politician to worry about the future of the Jewish people, it would be easy to dismiss him. But he is not alone. A long line of politicians expressed their concern about the future of Israel and Judaism because of this highly publicized wedding.”

“Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) offered the most direct response. In an interview with Army Radio, he explained to the young couple that after all the attention surrounding their wedding subsides, the real battle over their lives will begin. “I would like to tell Lucy that I have no doubt she did not intend to harm the State of Israel,” he said. “They are a couple in love, so they are getting married. But it is not the right thing to do. But I say to her, ‘You will have children, and they will have a problem in Israel because of their status.’ We must not encourage these kinds of things. We must protect the Jewish people. If she is sincerely interested in Judaism, there is a conversion process.” (more…)