The Supreme Court struck down part of a federal statute Monday that allowed Americans born in Jerusalem to record in their passport “Israel” as the place of birth.
The 6-3 decision is considered a victory for the President’s office, and a loss for Congress and the 12-year-old boy, Menachem Zivotofsky, caught in the middle of a separation of powers dispute. Zivotofsky was represented by the father-daughter team Nathan and Alyza Lewin who took on the case pro-bono.
In dissent were Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Samuel Alito. Roberts, in a dissent joined by Alito, said “Today’s decision is a first: Never before has this Court accepted a President’s direct defiance of an Act of Congress in the field of foreign affairs.” Scalia took the rare step of reading part of his dissent from the bench.
Alyza Lewin gave background on the case at last year’s National Jewish Retreat. Alyza and Nathan Lewin will once again join the 70-plus member faculty at the retreat this August 11-16th at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC.
HAGAON HORAV PINCHOS HIRSCHPRUNG Z”L WOULD SAY ON A CERTAIN GROUP OF JEWS THAT CALL THEMSELVES “ULTRA ORTHADOX”, (I. E. :STONE THROWING ON SHABBOS,BURNING THE ISRAELI FLAG,MARCHING WITH THE ARABS,BURNING AN EFFIGY OF THE REBBE RACHAMONA LITZLON,CALLING FIRE ENGINES TO THE REBBE’S HOUSE, BREAKING INTO MIVTZA TANKS, ETC. -BORUCH HASHEM MANY OF THEM DID TESHUVAH FOR THEIR SIN OF CHILUL HASHEM), THAT THEY ARE ALLERGIC TO ERETZ YISROEL! TRUE THAT THE REBBE ALWAYS EMPHASIZED THAT WE SHOULD CALL IT ERETZ YISROEL, ERETZ HAKODESH (HAKDOSHAH),THE LAND OF ISRAEL (G- D’S GIFT TO THE JEWS), NEVRTHELESS WHEN THE MOTIVE BEHIND OBLITERATING THE… Read more »
As a second generation American I would say who cares what America says! The problem is it isn’t and therefore shouldn’t be called Israel but EretsYisroel! That gives them a most powerful proof that it is ALL ours. Obama and his henchmen should have humans end and may it be soon
Personally, I would rather be identified as having been born in Jerusalem than in Israel. Yerushalayim is unto itself. If a person were born there when it was under Ottoman rule, would you want the passport to say Turkey? Being identified as a bona fide Yerushalmi is worth more than making a political point.
A life-long chabad chossid actually wrote about this already: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/zivotofsky-v-kerry-jerusalem-israels-capital-benny-forer?trk=pulse_spock-articles
Very interesting