Hundreds Of Thousands Can’t Marry In Israel

[Purveyor]

“We’ve got no-one to rely on apart from our Father in Heaven and the High Court of Justice,” said Yesh Atid MK Elazar Stern on Monday in relation to the current legal options for marriage, divorce, conversion and other religious services.

Stern, who heads the lobby along with fellow party member MK Aliza Lavie, was referencing the growing numbers of people unable to marry in Israel, the growing mistrust of the chief rabbinate which has exclusive jurisdiction over marriage and divorce, and the increasing public support for civil marriage.

“It pains me to say such things, especially as an MK, but this is unfortunately the reality.”

According to Hiddush, a religious pluralism lobbying group, some 660,000 citizens who are either from the former Soviet Union, gay, non-Orthodox converts to Judaism or have specific types of Jewish personal status, are currently unable to marry in Israel.

This figure was presented to the People, Religion and State Knesset lobby on Monday, which discussed the current options available for marriage and the prevailing situation in which tens of thousands of people are unable to get married in the country where they live and have citizenship.

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http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Hundreds-of-thousands-cant-marry-in-Israel-441173

[6chars]

1. can't do the wedding in israel, but can be married overseas and recognized in israel

From Wikipedia: Israel does recognise civil or religious marriages entered into outside Israel. It is usual for couples who may not or choose not to marry in Israel to travel overseas to marry.

so, certainly a law that they probably ought to change, but not - as it might sound - a law that deprives 1/10th of the people from the the benefits of marriage.

edited to add: it looks like there is a backdoor way to not have to go outside the country to get married either
http://www.haaretz.com/israelis-can-now-marry-abroad-and-never-have-to-leave-the-country-1.369310