Penal Law, 5737-1977

One who commits an act of piracy, or an act connected to piracy, or a similar act, is liable to Imprisonment of twenty years.

One who destroys, damages, or desecrates a place of worship, or any object held sacred by a community of persons, with intent to insult their religion, or knowing that they are likely to regard such act as an insult to their religion, is liable to imprisonment of three years.

[Amendment: [1966], 1980-7|ref=[a/147]]

One who willfully disturbs an assembly of persons who have lawfully gathered for the purpose of religious worship, or who willfully assaults a person performing a function at such an assembly or any of its attendees, and is unable to prove justification or lawful excuse, is liable to imprisonment of three years.

One who enters without permission a place of worship or burial, or a place designated for the purposes of a funeral procession or for the keeping of the remains of a deceased person, or who treats a deceased person without dignity, or who causes a disturbance to persons assembled for a funeral procession — all done with intent to wound the feelings of any person or to insult his religion, or while knowing that the act is likely to wound the feelings of any person or to insult his religion — is liable to imprisonment of three years.

[Amendment: 1988-3|ref=[a/149]]

One who does any of the following is liable to imprisonment of one year:

[Amendment: 2010|ref=[a/150]]

[(Repealed).]

[Amendment: 1978]

One who gives or promises to a person money, money's worth, or any other material benefit in order to induce that person to convert from his religion, or in order that he induce another person to convert from his religion, is liable to imprisonment of five years or a fine of 50,000 liras.

[Amendment: 1978]

One who receives or agrees to receive money, money's worth, or any other material benefit in exchange for a promise to convert from his religion or to cause another person to convert from his religion, is liable to imprisonment of three years or a fine of 30,000 liras.

In this Division, "marriage" – includes betrothal (kiddushin).

A married man who marries another woman, and a married woman who marries another man, are liable – to five years' imprisonment.

A person who was married is presumed to be married, for the purposes of Section 176, so long as he has not proved that his previous marriage was annulled or dissolved, whether by the death of the spouse or pursuant to a final judgment of the court or of the competent tribunal, or pursuant to religious law (din Torah) in a manner approved by the competent tribunal; and such person shall not be regarded as unmarried except from the time of death or from the time the judgment or approval as aforesaid was given.

For the purposes of Section 176, it is immaterial –

[Amendment: 5740-6|other=[h/5]]

Where the law applicable to the new marriage is religious law (din Torah), a person shall not be convicted of an offence under Section 176 if the new marriage was solemnized after he was granted permission to marry pursuant to a final judgment of a rabbinical court and the judgment was confirmed by the President of the Great Rabbinical Court.

Where the law applicable to the new marriage is not religious law (din Torah), a person shall not be convicted of an offence under Section 176 if the new marriage was solemnized after it was permitted pursuant to a final judgment of the competent tribunal on the basis of one of the following:

A man who dissolves the marriage bond against the wife's will, in the absence at the time of the dissolution of a final judgment of the court or of the competent tribunal obligating the wife to such dissolution, is liable – to five years' imprisonment.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the Evidence Ordinance [New Version], 5731–1971, a spouse is competent to testify against the other spouse in a trial for an offence under this Division; however, neither a spouse nor a person who married the accused in a marriage that is not legally effective may be compelled to testify.

[Amendment: 1990-3, 1991-3 | Other: [a/93, a/95]]

For the purposes of this Division –

"knife" – an implement with a blade or any other implement capable of stabbing or cutting;

"penknife" – a folding knife whose blade does not exceed ten centimetres in length and which cannot be converted, by means of a spring or any other mechanism, into a knife with a fixed blade;

"intoxicating beverage" – as defined in Section 2 of the Business Licensing Law, 5728–1968.

[Amendment: 1991-3 | Other: [a/90, a/95]]

One who trades in, manufactures or imports a knife not intended to be used in a profession, craft, business, for household purposes or for any other lawful purpose, is liable to imprisonment of seven years.

[Amendment: 2000, 2008]

[Amendment: 1991-3, 2000, 2001-2 | Other: [a/91, a/95]]

[Amendment: 1978-4, 1991-3 | Other: [a/92]]

[(Repealed).]

[Amendment: 1991-3 | Other: [a/94]]

[(Repealed).]

One who enters Real Property by force in order to take possession of it, whether the force consists of the actual application of force against another person or consists of threats, breaking in, or the assembly of an unusual number of persons, is liable to imprisonment of three years, even if he is entitled to enter that Real Property, unless the Real Property was his own but was held by his employee or agent.

One who, without any colour of right, holds Real Property belonging to a person who is lawfully entitled to possess it, and who is thereby likely to cause a breach of the peace or a reasonable apprehension of a breach of the peace, is liable to imprisonment of three years.

One who unlawfully participates in an affray in a public place is liable to imprisonment of one year.

[Amendment: [1973], 1977-2 | Other: [a/100]]

One who threatens another person in any manner whatsoever with an unlawful injury to the body, liberty, property, good name or livelihood of that person or of another person, with intent to intimidate or to annoy that person, is liable to imprisonment of three years.

[Amendment: 1990-3 | Other: [a/101]]

[Amendment: 1990-3, 2004-3, 2008, 2010-7]

[Amendment: [1966] | Other: [a/102]]

[Amendment: 2002-4]

"event" – an event in the field of sport, music, singing, dance, drama, cinema or any other field of entertainment or the arts;

"offence" – an offence classified as a misdemeanour under any law.

[Amendment: [1966] | Other: [a/103]]

One who wilfully and without proper authority removes, defaces or destroys a notice, advertisement or document that has been affixed, or is intended to be affixed, to a building or in a public place by operation of law or by direction of a public servant, is liable to imprisonment of three months.

[Amendment: [1957] | Other: [a/103a]]

One who unlawfully writes, draws, sketches or carves on another person's Real Property, or unlawfully affixes thereto any writing or sign, is liable to imprisonment of one year.

[See the Criminal Procedure Order (Section 196 of the Penal Law – Fine Offence), 5744–1984.]

[Amendment: 1983-2]

A person shall also be deemed to have committed an offence under Section 196 if the content of a printed notice that was unlawfully affixed points to him as one who commissioned its preparation or its affixing, or directed the performance of the act, unless he proved the following:

[Amendment: 1983-2]

The limitation period for an offence under Section 196 shall be one year.

One who attempts to prevent, sabotage or interfere with a public election – by force, violence, threats or any act that constitutes an offence under this Law, is liable to imprisonment of three years.

[Amendment: 2008-6 | Other: [a/105]]

[(Repealed).]