Two-thirds of the Israeli public supported state recognition of non-Orthodox marriages performed in Israel, a survey published on Sunday by the Smith Institute for the organization Hiddush – for Religious Freedom and Equality revealed.
Divided along party lines, 68% of Likud voters, 91% of Yesh Atid’s, 41% of Otzma Yehudit’s and Religious Zionism’s, 83% of National Unity’s, 9% of the haredi parties’ voters, 82% of Yisrael Beytenu’s, and 95% of Labor and Meretz voters supported state recognition of non-Orthodox marriages conducted in Israel.
Additionally, among secular Israelis, 92% endorsed state recognition of non-Orthodox marriages in Israel, while among the national religious, 31% supported them. Within the haredi sector, however, only 6% approved of non-Orthodox marriages in Israel. In the framework of traditional Israeli society, 48% backed the availability of non-Orthodox marriages in Israel, and among traditional, non-religious Israelis, 70% supported this option.
Hiddush has researched the public’s position on the issue of freedom of marriage since its inception. The organization’s goal is to ensure that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel no longer holds the monopoly over marriage in the country.
The survey was conducted in early August 2024 with a sample of 800 people. Its sampling error was 3.5%.
It also examined attitudes towards “Utah marriages,” where couples can marry in the state of Utah in the US online without leaving Israel. Over a year ago, the Jewish state’s High Court of Justice ruled that the Population Authority must recognize any couple who obtained a marriage license through the Utah online option, registering them as married. The survey assessed both the awareness of this marriage platform and the level of support for it within Israeli society.
According to the results, 69% of Israeli Jews were unaware that it is possible to have a civil marriage in the United States without leaving Israel. About two-thirds of Israelis supported this option when informed of its existence, whereas 34% were opposed to this concept.
What option would an Israeli choose for their children?
When asked which way they would like their children to marry, assuming all options were available, only 50% of Israeli Jews chose an Orthodox marriage. Nearly a quarter (22%) would rather have a civil marriage, 8% would have an overseas one, and 14% would elect a “Utah marriage.” Over a tenth (13%) would choose a Conservative or Reform marriage, and 15% replied that they would elect for cohabitation without a formal marriage.
Among secular Jews, only 15% would choose an Orthodox wedding, while 98% of haredim and 87% of religious Jews would choose a religious wedding. Among immigrants from the former Soviet Union, only 14% said they would opt for an Orthodox wedding.
Another noteworthy aspect of the survey was the difference in men’s and women’s views on the subject. Only 44% of women would favor an Orthodox wedding, while 55% of men would fancy one. More so, 72% of Israeli Jewish women supported the recognition of non-Orthodox marriages, whereas only 62% of Israeli Jewish men shared this perspective. Furthermore, 73% of women endorsed Utah marriages, compared to 59% of men.
The head of Hiddush, CEO Rabbi Uri Regev, stated in response to the results of the survey, “A large majority [of the Israeli public] 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 rabbinate on the entire Jewish public.”
He continued, “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.”
Regev then suggested that the Chief Rabbinate was the greatest threat to the institution of marriage in Israel.
“Since its establishment, Hiddush has fought to promote freedom of choice in marriage and divorce and to abolish the monopoly of the anachronistic Chief Rabbinate,” he stated.
“The events of the judicial overhaul and the government’s conduct on religious matters since the war give hope that in the next elections, the public will express its preference by supporting only those parties that commit to implementing the principles of freedom of religion and conscience, as guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence, including the introduction of civil marriage and divorce, befitting a truly Jewish, democratic state,” Regev concluded.