page_title: Marriage in Israel
hierarchical_section_title: Marriage in Israel
caption_attribution_description: The Station is a newer development in Tel Aviv, created from an old rail station - think New York's Highline Couple prepares for their wedding, at The Station, Tel Aviv
context_page_description: In Israel, marriages can be performed only under the auspices of the religious community to which couples belong, and no inter-faith marriages performed in the country are legally recognized. Matrimonial law is based on the millet or confessional community system employed in the Ottoman Empire, which was not modified during the British Mandate and remains in force in the State of Israel.
  In addition to the respective faiths of Jewish, Muslim and Druze communities in Israel, Israel recognizes ten distinct denominations of Christianity. Marriages in each community are under the jurisdiction of their own religious authorities. The religious authority for Jewish marriages performed in Israel is the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Rabbinical courts. The Israeli Interior Ministry registers marriages on presentation of proper documentation. Israel’s religious authorities — the only entities authorized to perform weddings in Israel — are prohibited from marrying couples unless both partners share the same religion. Therefore, interfaith couples can be legally married in Israel only if one of the partners converts to the religion of the other.
context_section_description: In Israel, marriages  can be performed only under the auspices of the religious community to which couples belong, and no inter-faith marriages performed in the country are legally recognized. Matrimonial law is based on the millet or confessional community system employed in the Ottoman Empire, which was not modified during the British Mandate and remains in force in the State of Israel.
  In addition to the respective faiths of Jewish, Muslim and Druze communities in Israel, Israel recognizes ten distinct denominations of Christianity. Marriages in each community are under the jurisdiction of their own religious authorities. The religious authority for Jewish marriages performed in Israel is the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Rabbinical courts. The Israeli Interior Ministry registers marriages on presentation of proper documentation. Israel’s religious authorities — the only entities authorized to perform weddings in Israel — are prohibited from marrying couples unless both partners share the same religion. Therefore, interfaith couples can be legally married in Israel only if one of the partners converts to the religion of the other. However, civil, interfaith and same-sex marriages entered into abroad are recognized by the state.
  Over 50 percent of Israelis marry before age 25, with marriage rates much higher among Israeli Arabs and the ultra-Orthodox than among secular Jews, according to statistics released 18 June 2019 by the Central Bureau of Statistics.
caption: Israeli couple in Tel Aviv, 2014
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