Newspaper Article

A civil affair

Stern, Lisë

2013

Overview

\"There are thousands of people who don't want the state involved in their private life,\" says Irit Rosenblum, a lawyer and founder of New Family (www.newfamily.org.il), an organization that advocates for all Israelis to gain marital rights and family rights. \"You create a family either by partnership or by parenthood. The minute you become more than one person, you create your own nest.\" But creating that nest can be problematic. Rosenblum's book, Theory of the New Family, describes the conflict between the state of mind of the family entity and of the public \"The Marriage and Divorce Registration law is from 1919,\" says Rosenblum. \"Believe it or not, this law still exists. It means marriage for Jews happens in rabbinical court, for Muslims with an imam, Christians in a church. And civil law marriages are registered by a British Mandate Officer. But nobody has nominated a British Mandate Officer yet,\" she quips. \"There's no need to change Ûie law, it's already in place- all we need to do is nominate that officer.\" Still, many people do not object to the legalities. Rosa is not Jewish. She moved to Israel from Ecuador, and became engaged to Ephraim, an Israeli, who is. \"I understand that I must respect the laws of the country I am living in,\" she says. They went to Cyprus for their wedding last year. There is a micro industry for Cyprian marriages, with travel packages available that include airfare, hotel, and the ceremony. \"Some people make an international wedding party,\" Rosa says. \"Others, like us, do it privately. Honestly, it was very romantic.\"

• Publisher: Washington Jewish Week
• Subject: Family law / Jewish law / Marriage / Weddings