The Jerusalem Rabbinate was forced this week to announce the nullification of a marriage it had performed, when it became clear that the groom was actually a transgender man, thus making the marriage invalid according to Jewish law.
The saga began when the couple approached the Rabbinate to register for marriage. The Rabbinate saw that the woman was pregnant, and the man claimed the fetus was his child.
Approval for the marriage was then granted.
The couple request a modest wedding ceremony to be held at the Rabbinate’s office, and the Rabbinate complied with the request. The ceremony took place and one of the rabbis on the Religious Council officiated.
However, two weeks later, the Rabbinate received information that the man married had not actually been born a man, and was previously a woman who had sex reassignment surgery in 2013.
After the surgery, the person in question had their ID card’s sex changed to male.
Upon looking into the issue, the Rabbinate decided to revoke the marriage license and the couple will no longer be considered as married.
