Half of Israel Jews prefer not to get married in an Orthodox ceremony
The Hiddush Association conducted a survey about how Israeli Jews prefer to get married.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFA NEW bride and groom visit a blossoming almond grove in Latrun on their wedding day in 2019.(photo credit: HADAS PARUSH/FLASH90)
Israel should recognize all types of marriage including civil and Reform, some 63% of Jews in Israel said in a survey published on Thursday.
Conducted by the Smith Institute for the Hiddush Association, it shows that of the 63%, some 90% of the secular people support this.
The survey was done in honor of Tu Be'av, known as the Jewish holiday of love, and has been conducted by Hiddush many times since its founding in 2010. The results have remained consistent over the last decade; a government that makes a change in the matter will satisfy more than half of Israel's Jews.
Another question that was asked in the survey was what marriage method people would choose if they had a choice.
More than half (51%) of the general population would choose an Orthodox wedding, 27% would choose civil marriage, 12% would opt for a conservative/reform wedding and 10% said that they would choose not to officially get married.
Only 16% of the secular population would voluntarily choose an Orthodox wedding, while about half would opt for a civil wedding.
Men and women don't entirely agree either. While 56% of men prefer an Orthodox wedding, only 48% of women agree. In the same vein, 13% of women prefer conservative/reform marriage compared to 10% of men.
The survey also asked participants about "Utah weddings" that allows people in Israel to get married in an American civil ceremony over Zoom. Former interior minister Aryeh Deri ordered the Interior Ministry not to accept these marriages; current Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked has refused to cancel the order.
When asked their opinion on the matter, some 55% of survey participants said that Israel should accept Utah marriages just like it does all other international civil marriages. On the other hand, only 16% think that Israel should not accept it because the couple does not actually leave Israel. The remaining 29% say that Israel should not accept any foreign marriages at all.
"In the new government, the possibility has opened for change and Israel's entry into the family of democratic nations in the world, in which the freedom of marriage is self-evident," said Hiddush CEO Rabbi Uri Regev. "With Tu Be'av approaching, it's time for our politicians to allow love to be expressed through free choice of marriage."
