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Secular young Israelis want religious weddings

Living in a state which offers no civil marriage, most young Israelis opt for the religious ceremony, mainly because families cherish tradition more than the rabbis who officiate.
An Israeli bride poses for her wedding photographer (not pictured) as graves are seen in the background at Nabi Musa Muslim Cemetery in the Judean desert near the West Bank city of Jericho November 28, 2013. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (WEST BANK - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTX15WJZ
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"You are hereby consecrated to me with this [ring], according to the law of Moses and Israel.” (from the Jewish wedding ceremony)

When they reach their big day as bride and groom, most Jewish Israelis still marry under a rabbi, under proper Jewish law. While Israeli law does not allow civil marriages, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) shows that only 1,128 Jewish couples took the trouble to go abroad in 2011 to marry in a civil ceremony. By contrast, 38,936 Jewish couples married that same year in the rabbinate.

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