Minimized version of law regulating nuptials of ´non-denomination´ Israelis passes 56-4.

A minimized version of the civil marriage bill passed its second and third Knesset readings on Monday, with a majority of 56 Knesset members voting in favor of regulating the nuptials of "non-denomination" Israelis.   The opposition slammed the absence of coalition members United Torah Judaism and Shas (ultra-Orthodox partires) from the vote and voiced reservations.

The new law allows non-Jewish Israelis, or citizens defined by the State as lacking religious denomination, to marry via the soon-to-be-formed marriage registrar bureau.

MK David Rotem (Yisrael Beitenu), who initiated the bill, welcomed the decision, saying that "this is a historical day. By introducing the term ´civil marriage´ to Israel´s legal code, we´ve managed to crack a 62-year-old wall.”

For the entire y-net article:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3863253,00.html

A more detailed Jerusalem Post article discusses the relationship between this bill and the pending conversion bill, which has aroused much opposition in the Knesset, non-Orthodox movements inside and outside Israel, and Jewish leaders around the world.

http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=171084

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