Published: 12 July 2022
Last updated: 5 March 2024
Couples who wed in online ceremonies through the US state of Utah will have their marriages registered in Israel
A ruling by the Lod District Court has upended the religious status quo in Israel and could augur a marriage revolution in the Jewish state.
In a decision published on Friday, Judge Efrat Fink ruled that the Population and Immigration Authority of the Interior Ministry is obligated to register as married couples who wed through an online civil marriage service carried out under the auspices of the US state of Utah.
The decision means that Israeli couples can now get married in civil ceremonies without leaving the country, granting a de facto victory to advocates in the decades-long struggle for civil marriage in Israel.
Orthodox political parties have long fought efforts to institute civil marriage in Israel, citing their religious objections to the state sanctioning interfaith marriages and other unions prohibited by Jewish law.
Friday’s ruling in effect circumvents the political roadblock, making civil marriage available to all Israelis without having to travel outside the country. It swiftly invoked the ire of Orthodox politicians, who denounced it as “undermining” the Jewish character of the state.
Israeli law only allows for marriage through Israel’s established religious institutions — the rabbinate for Jews, sharia courts for Muslims — meaning that hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens cannot get married in Israel due to various religious barriers.
Although couples have been able to marry in civil ceremonies abroad and have them registered by the Population Authority for nearly six decades, this process involves considerable expense and inconvenience.
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Court rules online civil marriages valid, upending Israel’s religious status quo (Times of Israel)
