Irit Rosenblum at the Equality Forum 2012

‘We must continue to fight for everyone’s right to form a family until that freedom is enshrined in law.’ – Irit Rosenblum

New Family, headed by attorney Irit Rosenblum, was invited by the Israeli Foreign Ministry to participate in the Israeli delegation to 20th annual Equality Forum held this week in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

For the first time since inception of the conference, a family-friendly nation was chosen to be highlighted. The Equality Forum 2012 spotlights Israel as the Featured Nation with panels, parties and special events. The Israeli Foreign Ministry, headed by Israel Consul Daniel kutner and his staff member, Ms. Sharon Singer, Director of Public Affairs & Social Media in Israeli consulate in Philadelphia, organized the Israeli delegation.

On Friday May 5, Irit Rosenblum delivered the sermon at Congregation Rodeph Shalom, the city’s largest Reform synagogue.

Irit Rosenblum said her remarks that in these days of ever-increasing threat of fundamentalism, great importance should be attributed to the human freedom to form a family. American Jewry is the second largest in the world. With the dominance of Orthodoxy in Israel, the Diaspora Jewish community is in danger of rejection according to the strict criteria of the Orthodox rabbinate. As a society and as a nation, we should be more tolerant of those different to ourselves.

Although Israel is among the most advanced countries in the world in its judicial interpretations of the family, and Israeli courts have made legal precedents enabling the establishment of new types of family units, there is no legislation akin to a Constitutional Law on the Family, nor any law guaranteeing the human right to family.

Families who are not automatically recognized by law, including common-law, same-sex and interfaith families often attain status and rights through the courts by judicial interpretation. New Family’s attorneys have represented many of them.

‘We must continue to fight for everyone’s right to form a family until that freedom is enshrined in law, Rosenblum said’.

The Israeli delegation met with Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter at an official reception at City Hall and took part in the International Equality Dinner with Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren was the Keynote Speaker.

The message that Attorney Irit Rosenblum conveyed at this conference was that the right to form family is an essential private and personal liberty and the state and its institutions must respect this right.