The Knesset caucus on Religion and State was told today that there are now 666,000 Israelis who are unable to marry in Israel because they don’t fit into one of the official state-mandated religious categories. Almost all of those people consider themselves to be Jewish but are not Jewish according to halakha (Orthodox Jewish law).
Report: 666,000 Israelis Cannot Legally Marry in Israel Due To Jewish Status Issues
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
The Knesset caucus on Religion and State was told today that there are now 666,000 Israelis who are unable to marry in Israel because they don’t fit into one of the official state-mandated religious categories, the Times of Israel reported. Almost all of those people consider themselves to be Jewish but are not Jewish according to halakha (Orthodox Jewish law).
Israel has no secular marriage. Israelis who identify as Jewish, for example, but who are not Jews according to halakha (Orthodox Jewish law), cannot marry in the country unless they formally convert to one of the state-recognized religions – Judaism, Islam, Catholic, Druze, Eastern Orthodox – and marry a member of that adopted religious faith.
This forces 20% of Israeli couples to marry abroad, the religious freedom NGO Hiddush, which presented the Knesset with its new findings, says.
Hiddush cited a survey conducted by Smith Research which found that approximately 70% of non-Orthodox Israelis would marry outside the auspices of the haredi-controlled official state Chief Rabbinate rabbinate if it were legally possible to do so.
“The rabbinate’s monopoly not only fails to contribute to preserving Judaism; it is a cause for the public’s hatred of Judaism, identifying [it] with dark zealotry,” Hiddush head Reform Rabbi Uri Regev reportedly said.