It technically doesn’t, as marriage is unfortunately controlled by religious authorities in Israel. However, in certain key ways, Israel has blown past the United States in terms of equal rights for gay couples. In a new video for VJM, journalist Yermi Brenner introduces us to how gay couples work it out in Israel. There’s a class issue involved here: for those couples who can afford to travel abroad to get married, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled several years back that the nation would recognize marriages performed abroad, including those of same-sex partners. And for those who can’t afford it, an organization has stepped up to help couples get the protections and rights that they need as couples. Interesting stuff.
Of course, WordPress is being difficult, so I can’t seem to embed the video here, but by all means, hop over to the Huffington Post to watch.
the ultra-orthodox religious over there don’t just ruin marriage for gays, they ruin it for non-orthodox Jews and inter-married couples as well. When I was over there, a guide told me how she (a liberal Jew) and her husband (an atheist Jew) were forced to go through an orthodox wedding just so they could be married without leaving their hometowns, even though both are Jewish. (they’re just not “jewish enough” for the black-hatted hierarchy). They wanted their families to be there, what could they do? And it was not a great experience.
Their marriage itself is a much better one, as I’ve gathered.
Many Israelis resent the control the ultra-orthodox have over policy. But until secular kibbutzers start voting more, that’s the land they’ll inherit.