Ad campaign for Conservative Jewish weddings strikes chord in Israel

[Phx_Dem]

Ad campaign for Conservative Jewish weddings strikes chord in Israel

TEL AVIV (JTA) -- In an online game, prospective Israeli brides and bridegrooms construct their dream wedding -- everything from venue to guest list to food.

Finally the punch line arrives: What kind of ceremony would they choose?

For most Israelis, there is little choice.

In a country without civil marriage, an Orthodox ceremony performed by the Chief Rabbinate is the only legally recognized union for Jews.

A growing number of Israeli Jews, however, are bypassing the Rabbinate and marrying abroad. Some do so because they are not considered Jewish according to halachah, or Jewish law. Others are turned off by the Rabbinate's reputation for sluggish bureaucracy and pedantic questioning of petitioners’ Jewish identity.

The Conservative movement in Israel, called Masorti, is tapping into this discontent.

http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/article/200807030703masorti.html