Kan English

The Lod central district court has ruled that the Interior Ministry register as married couples who wed through an online civil marriage service carried out under the auspices of the US state of Utah. The court decision means that Israeli couples can now marry in civil ceremonies without leaving the country, granting a de facto victory to advocates in the decades-long struggle for civil marriage in Israel. The issue came to the forefront after the population authority agreed to register as married several Israeli couples who wed through the online service during the pandemic; but then-Interior Minister Arieh Deri of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party froze the process. Rabbi Uri Regev, director of the Hiddush organization for religious freedom and equality, welcomed the ruling. He spoke to KAN reporter Naomi Segal about it.  (Photo:Shutterstock) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.