“The stance of the Jewish public in Israel is clear: a large majority rejects the policies of Israeli governments that have succumbed to the blackmail of the ultra-Orthodox parties since the founding of the state, and imposed the authority of the Orthodox Rabbinate on the entire Jewish public”
Half of Israeli Jews would prefer to marry in non-Orthodox wedding ceremonies
Two-thirds of public backs lifting Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly on Jewish weddings to include Reform, Conservative, civil ceremonies; only ultra-Orthodox, far-right voters oppose
A poll released on Sunday ahead of Tu B’Av, the “Jewish holiday of love,” found that half of Israeli Jews would choose not to marry in an Orthodox ceremony if they could, with 22 percent opting for civil marriage and 13% preferring a Conservative or Reform marriage.
The Smith Research Institute for Hiddush, an organization that promotes freedom of religion, found that the vast majority of those who said they would choose an Orthodox ceremony identified as ultra-Orthodox or Modern Orthodox. Among secular respondents, only 15% said they would choose an Orthodox ceremony.
The poll found that women were less likely (44%) to choose an Orthodox ceremony than men (55%) and expressed more support for other marriage options including through an online marriage service provided by Utah County, in Utah.
Among the requirements to legally marry in Israel, women must attend at least one “kallah (bride) class” where they are taught about Jewish law surrounding menstrual cycles and they must immerse themselves in a mikveh (ritual pool) before the wedding. There are no such requirements for men.
Regardless of which ceremony they would personally choose, 67% of Israeli Jews responded that they would support the legalization of more types of marriage, including civil, Conservative, and Reform Jewish weddings.
Ninety-two percent of the secular public and 31% of the religious public supported broadening the types of marriage allowed in the country.
The survey noted that these figures include 68% of people who vote for the ruling Likud party and 41% of far-right Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit party voters. Only 9% of ultra-Orthodox party voters voiced support for other types of marriage.
Religious 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.
Israeli law only allows for marriage through established religious institutions like the Orthodox rabbinate for Jews and 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 get married in civil ceremonies abroad and have their marriages registered by the Population Authority for nearly six decades, this process involves considerable expense and inconvenience.
Since December 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, several Israeli couples have been married through the online marriage service in Utah.
Israel also offers a common-law marriage option for couples who cannot legally marry in Israel such as same-sex and interfaith couples or people who don’t legally qualify as Jewish by Rabbinate standards. While common-law marriage is not fully cemented into Israeli law, couples who choose this option have almost all the rights that legally married couples do with a few exceptions.
“The stance of the Jewish public in Israel is clear: a large majority rejects the policies of Israeli governments that have succumbed to the blackmail of the ultra-Orthodox parties since the founding of the state, and imposed the authority of the Orthodox Rabbinate on the entire Jewish public,” said Hiddush CEO Rabbi Uri Regev about the poll.
“The irony is that the Rabbinate has managed to alienate tens of thousands of couples from the institution of marriage, leading them to prefer cohabitation without formal marriage. Thus, the Rabbinate has become the greatest threat to the institution of marriage in Israel.”
11 comments:
It would be very interesting to know what, if any, influence gett laws have in the preference of women to avoid a Halachic union.
Jewish divorce law needs major reform; it still manages to stun me that a woman married under a chupah must depend on the goodwill of an estranged spouse for her freedom should the marriage end.
What man would risk placing all his assets into a business partnership that operates on the principle of gett?
The Rabbinate is corrupt to its core and has been since the founding of the State! They believe they can get away with just about anything because of their iron grip on the Haredi Knesset members!
Civil marriage would actually be preferable, then if you want a religious ceremony then fine.
With civil marriage, there is no halakhic marriage so the couple is cohabiting. That means if they divorce, there is no need for a gett. Problem solved for many, many couples. Besides, how many couples are already just shacking up without caring about getting married? It's not like insisting on a proper chupah/kiddushin has changed anything.
It's true that the Rabbanut are corrupt but giving koyach to the koifrim doesn't solve anything. Besdies that it's assur to give them chashivus, their chuppos are also worthless lehalacha. And before you know it they will use it as a launchpad for intermarriage & toyevah with backing of the Court
Who wouldda ever thought?
https://matzav.com/rav-avrohom-schorr-calls-out-excessiveness-at-kiddushim-and-toameha-gatherings/
R' Gedalya Schorr's kanoyee son bashing Agudah Fressers! LOL!
Yes, all true but here's the point: they're doing it anyway.
If they want to intermarry, they go to Cyprus. If it's a forbidden marriage like a Kohen to a divorcee, they go to Cyprus. You think two gay men in Israel ever said "Hmmm, we'd like to be a couple and live together but the Rabbanut says no so we won't"? The phenomenon is already in full swing.
Let's pretend in an utopian world of Orthodox Jews, that instead of the 2 Nepo-Babies, Lau and Yosef, Rav Yitzchak Breitowitz from Ohr Sameach was the chief rabbi...how many secular Jews would flock to him for marriage (kiddushin) and as a role model. Instead we have jailbirds and corrupt thieves, selling geirus, kashruth, to the highest bidder.
I think many poskim say that when there's a civil marriage, then when the couple cohabitates, it's understood to be under the framework of marriage and so the "maaseh of biah" is the "kinyan" and are then halachacly considered married and would require a gett.
I'd like to know more because according to Rav Moshe, a full on Conservative wedding where they go through many of the motions of a halakhic one doesn't require a gett so why would a civil or common law marriage?
Which poskim are you referring to LES AYM?
I do not know of any poskim that pasken you can be m'kadesh with beah, Chazal actually forbade it. So every secular or any couple that shack up is considered married enough to require a Gett? It can not be so!
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