It was reported throughout different Israeli news networks that the Central District Court ordered that the State recognize couples who were civilly married over Zoom as married couples for the purpose of the population registry. According to the report, the state has the option to appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court.

This decision was not an easy one given the religious nature of the matter. For instance, this decision will allow homosexual couples to be recognized as married in the eyes of the law, something that is frowned upon in all three major western religions.

However, the reasoning behind the verdict was to grant more freedom as a democracy to the people and further demonstrate Israel’s determination to equality.

💻 An Israeli judge ruled that the country must recognize marriages performed virtually from Utah.https://t.co/XVZa9hCsTv

— The Forward (@jdforward) July 12, 2022

Beyond the issues of ‘Church & State’, Many Israelis who are heterosexual and Jewish refuse to use the standard Rabbinate, the state's official religious services division, for marriage offered by the government, mainly out of protest to the Rabbinate's strict rules regarding who can be recognized as a Jew.

For those who may recall, during the pandemic, the U.S. state of Utah allowed marriage to be registered through Zoom. Hundreds of Israeli couples registered for marriage using this loophole, including Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll Mish Atid.

Judge Efrat Fink justified her decision to recognize these ‘Zoom’ marriages. She wrote in the ruling: "Failure to leave the territory of the State of Israel for the purpose of performing the ceremony does not constitute an obvious unwillingness, which establishes an obligation to examine the marriage certificate presented. To bring about the conclusion of the inquiry and the registration of the marriage in the registry. "

Israeli district court recognizes marriages conducted *by Israelis in Israel* via Zoom in the state of Utah. If this holds up, it will effectively end the rabbinic monopoly and create easy access civil marriages. https://t.co/aqPM7FZdTS

— David Hazony (@davidhazony) July 10, 2022

Knesset member, Avi Maoz, chairman of the religious conservative Noam party, responded: "The judges of the court are ignoring the policy that has been practiced in the State of Israel for decades. We will fix it with the help of God ".