An Israeli minister traveled to the US despite government warnings and returned with a baby. Ironically, this minister is an outspoken post-modern feminist who rails against marriage, family, and surrogacy.

Mazal Tov: It’s a boy!

The left-wing Transport Minister Merav Michaeli (Labor) garnered criticism when she traveled to the US for a “vacation” despite requests by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for Israelis to refrain from traveling abroad. Michaeli was urged by staff and other members of the government to cancel her trip but she released a statement saying simply, “The Minister of Transportation is on a private trip in the United States starting this morning. The Minister will comply with all the required COVID-19 instructions.”

The real reason for her “vacation” became clear on Saturday after Michaeli released an announcement on social media showing her with her partner, Lior Schleien, holding the newest member of their family; a baby born via a surrogate mother in the US.

“The first time Lior told me ‘let’s have a kid,’ I was sure it was a punch[line]. After all, he’s a [satiricist], and he’s talking about me, and it is well-known that I have no intention of having children.”

“When he persisted, I thought he was saying this because it’s an acceptable way in our culture to say I love you.”

“For a long time, I thought this would pass. Because in my eyes, our life was really great as it is. But as time passed I realized how much he wanted it. And I looked at him, and I loved him. And I chose to live with him and chose to go on this journey with him.”

“It’s been a journey of many trials. I’m glad I went through this journey, I now know about myself what it means and what it entails and what it means to work differently in this system of fertility treatments, but that is a discussion for another time.”

“We were amazingly lucky to meet Kelsey, a stunning American girl, who wanted to help those who are in our situation and also help with the livelihood of her lovely family. Thanks to her, Uri was born yesterday.

He doesn’t change anything of what I think about the inequality that makes motherhood a burden on women. He doesn’t change my mind about the fact that you are a perfect woman even without being a mother.”

“He’s mine and Lior’s boy. We are so happy with him and happy to be his parents. It’s a love story. Now that’s a love story of three.”

Hypocrisy much?

First and foremost, the editorial staff at Israel365 News would like to wish the family blessings of health and happiness which supersede any political considerations. The US is classified as an “orange country”, meaning Michaeli will have quality time to be with her new baby and partner as they will be required to quarantine for a week after returning to Israel.

That being said, it is important to put the announcement into context. Michaeli,  age 54. is an outspoken and ardent feminist with distinct views on issues pertaining to the family. In September 2012, she spoke at TEDxJaffa on the theme of “paradigm shift,” in which she argued that society should “cancel marriage” as an out-of-date and un-evolved concept in modern society. 

Michaeli has also advocated for the rights of same-sex couples to adopt children. At the same time, she was a vocal opponent of surrogacy. In a2013 interview in the Hebrew language Mako news,  which she described surrogacy as “a kind of trafficking in the body of women that is…not acceptable to me.”

“The way people who have no ability to have children turn to a woman who needs to go through hormonal treatments, pregnancy and childbirth with all that that entails and then hand over the child,” Michaeli said. “How to say it, it does not seem so reasonable to me. For the money, I mean the element of choice here is a bit dubious.”

“I think whoever can not give birth and terribly wants boys and girls the logical thing to do is to adopt and not go to surrogacy, and I say this without any gender difference,” Michaeli said at the time.

Michaeli is the granddaughter of Rudolph Kastner, a high-ranking member of the first Israeli government led by David Ben Gurion. Kastner was assassinated in 1957 after an Israeli court accused him of having collaborated with the Nazis. It was revealed that during the Holocaust, Kastner acted as an agent for the Budapest Aid and Rescue Committee, negotiating with the Nazis to allow 1,684 Jews to flee to Switzerland in exchange for money, gold, and diamonds. It was revealed in the court case that Kastner chose not to warn others that their “resettlement” was in fact deportation to the gas chambers. Kasztner had sacrificed the mass of Jewry for a chosen few that were left-wing Zionist and secular. The verdict triggered the fall of the Israeli Cabinet.