"Civil marriage is a very important component of one of the most important values contained within the concept and meaning of the word democracy." "Democracy is not a word that can be used to denote a country which does not uphold freedom of choice in all matters pertaining to the individual" You state opinions, not facts.

I do support the article above. Israel, for being a full Democracy, must get free of Orthodox domination on the refered issues. There are Jewish people who don't accept Rabbinate's rule. As a jurist, I have red your Basic Law that assures equal rights for all citizens, including the ones from other faiths, atheists and agnostics. It is not a question between "right" and "left". A good Laicism respects religious values, but without any kind of fundamentalism. Think about it, Israeli brothers and sisters.

Oh no Sir ! My opinions just happen to be facts whereas your "facts" just happen to be opinions. The facts that I stated just happen to be anchored in the laws of all enlightened societies. So you are saying that they are all opinions ?

If citizens are free to elect their leaders, the country is a Democracy. The rest of the criteria you stated is your own personal opinion.

the Government must understand that allowing civil marriage-is fair a person may choose who he wants to marry Jew or gentile the whole world understands this-

My dear Tahl, u have all the right to feel proud abut your origin. Believe me, as atheist proud of my Lebanese origin, all the religions "who believe in God" are similar and sorry to say that i can't accept a country or state based on religion and holly belief, i don't belong to such culture. it is also you right to say that Judaism is the best constitution for Israel but ill call you Rabbi Tahl :) i wanna live in a place where i am respected as a human regardless my thoughts, see u soon in here. to Jake, my friend u accused me and you fall into wrong assumption, i am not a victim of Nazi propaganda or Persian propaganda or any propaganda, i just said that the fact of saying that we are the chosen and give a group or people Holiness is similar of what Nazi did by using the Christianity. As Tahl said all religions think that they are the chosen, that is fine if it remains as religion thoughts but when you try to build a country or nationalism with this tools it become (for me) racism and discrimination and i feel offended as a simple person who doesn't belief in religions.

both religious and non - religious. Judasm is not only religion, it has to do with the Jewsih people as people. The Jews survived through generations as people when marying with Jews. Very few married non - jews. To continue and protect the Jewish heritage and the Jewish people, religious marriage in Israel is of very high importance, in particular since about a little more than 20 years ago. Lapid probably hates his origin, hates the religion and tradition of his ancestors and that is why his party suggests the kind of things that it suggests. I am second generation of holocaust survivor, not religious, but am very eager to perserve the Jewish identity and the Jewish identity of Israel.

Israeli Law follows on from British Mandate and Ottoman Empire Law that has recognised Muslim, Christian and Jewish Ecclesiastical Authorities, each of whom marry their own members. The problem only arises if a mixed religion couple or a same gender couple want to marry. They can marry in Cyprus or elsewhere and then register their marriage in Israel.

Mamzerus is a very complicated question. Israel does its best to avoid mamzerus, and civil marriage does not necessarily make it easier. A civil marriage may still require a Get as well as a civil divorce. Reb Moshe's heter to retroactively invalidate a Reform wedding because the witnesses were not kodher is a desperate measure to rescue children from mamzerus, but doesn't always apply or work. The Rabbinate avoids this problem from arising.

You are colrrect that the bride does not sign the Ketuba. You are, however, wrong to say the bride groom does sign the Ketuba. Only the two kosher witnesses sign. They must be scholars capable of reading and understanding the ketuba which they sign and which is read out to those gathered at the chupa.

If a Jewish man and woman live together as husband and wife and have consumated their 'marriage' they still require a Get to terminate their marriage. Torah Law counts consumation as a form of marriage, although the Rabbis 'fenced' this to include a Ketuba, ring, witnesses and today a prenupt.

It may be unpalatable, but it is the reality here. The government is elected by free and unhindered democratic elections, but the majority of citizens are not liberal, or secular, nor Western, rather they are conservative and traditional and their origins are from the under developed third world nations. The City/State of Tel Aviv, Europe and N. America refuse to swallow this bitter pill. Yossi