The Apartheid State of Marriage in Israel

I originally posted the following information and commentary onto my Facebook wall…

The "Am I legally allowed to marry in Israel?" flowchart

The “Am I legally allowed to marry in Israel?” flowchart

Who Would You Be Allowed to Marry in Israel Today?
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/shavuot/.premium-1.596576

(Ariel David, Haaretz) On the website of Hiddush, a nonprofit organization that promotes religious freedom and equality in Israel, there is a world map showing countries that restrict freedom of marriage. The countries given as imposing “severe restrictions” include most states between Morocco to the west and Pakistan to the east. And Israel is no exception.

Marriage in the Jewish state is a complex matter, and is almost entirely under the purview of religious authorities.

There is no civil marriage. Jews can only be married in a religious ceremony, by an Orthodox rabbi under the authority of the Chief Rabbinate, the top religious authority for Jews in Israel. This means there is also no interfaith marriage between Jews and non-Jews, since Orthodox Judaism does not allow mixed unions. Israelis who belong to other streams of Judaism, such as Reform or Conservative, must still tie the knot in front of an Orthodox rabbi in a traditional ceremony if they want their marriage to be recognized by the state.

(Read entire article here…)

My Commentary: Repeat after me: Israel IS NOT an Apartheid State! 😉