Prohibitions on civil and non-Orthodox weddings in Israel prevent 660, 000 Jewish-Israelis — including 364, 000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union — from marrying in the Jewish state, according to a nonprofit promoting religious freedom in Israel.
According to a news release the Hiddush group presented the information Monday, in a Knesset conference on “alternatives to marriage through the [Chief] Rabbinate.”
Will you offer us a hand? Every gift, regardless of size, fuels our future.
Your critical contribution enables us to maintain our independence from shareholders or wealthy owners, allowing us to keep up reporting without bias. It means we can continue to make Jewish Business News available to everyone.
You can support us for as little as $1 via PayPal at [email protected].
Thank you.
It also reported that 20 percent of weddings registered in Israel took place overseas — a way of circumventing the prohibition on non-Orthodox weddings stateside — and that 70 percent of secular Israelis say they would have non-Orthodox wedding ceremonies if the state permitted them.
The nonprofit attributed its statistics to opinion polls and Israel Central Bureau of Statistics data.