Photo Jewish Wedding 1972 Hanoch Langer Moshe Dayan Rabbi Goren Court Bastards

The verdict of the brother and sister is a ruling handed down by a special Rabbinical Court headed by Rabbi Shlomo Goren in Kislev 5733 (published on November 19, 1972), which cleared the brothers Hanoch and Miriam Langer of suspicion of illegitimacy and ended a long affair that caused a storm in Israel. Rabbi Goren in the affair caused great anger among the ultra-Orthodox public and the widening of the rift between the haredi public and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

The brother and sister whose request was denied turned to Defense Minister Moshe Dayan in a letter to help them. Dayan threatened that if the problem was not solved, the Knesset would introduce a law for civil marriage. Prime Minister Golda Meir received them for conversation and their distress touched her. As a result of the affair, the Independent Liberals faction proposed a bill designed to allow civil marriage for marriage offenders, which caused a coalition crisis.

At the same time, an appeal was made to Rabbi Goren, the chief military chaplain, who examined the case and expressed his opinion that it was possible to allow the brother and sister to enter the audience /

Goren was well acquainted with the case of the bastard brother and sister; he consulted, made halachic inquiries, and was convinced that the two could be allowed to be removed as bastards.