Rabbi Lau Asks Government to Ease Travel Restrictions on Chassunahs

With the coronavirus cabinet scheduled to discuss possible easements in the lockdown on Tuesday, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau has called for chassunahs to receive special consideration, according to The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

In a letter to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, Rabbi Lau asked that restrictions on inter-city travel be revised to allow for the chosson, kallah, officiating rabbi and immediate family to arrive for the chassunah.

Currently, gatherings, including “prayers and religious ceremonies,” are restricted to 10 people indoors and 20 people outdoors. He also asked for the maximum numbers for wedding parties to be raised to 20.

“I am confident that as people who recognize the importance of couples seeking to establish a faithful home in Israel, you will know how to combine the need to amend regulations with the required duty of care and will be [wise enough] to find a solution to the issue,” Rabbi Lau wrote in the letter.