A bill proposed by MK Shuli Muallem-Refaeli (Bayit Yehudi) to prevent municipal rabbis from charging couples for performing their wedding ceremonies was passed into law on Monday night.
Currently, according to the law, rabbis working in a particular religious council, from which they receive a salary, are able to charge money from couples for performing their wedding even if one of the spouses live in the same district for which the local religious council is responsible.
The law does prevent a rabbi from charging couples for this service if one of the spouses lives in his specific neighborhood, but not if they live in the broader municipal area covered by the religious council which pays his salary.
Muallem explained that the reasoning behind the law was to help young couples who are unaware of their rights within the religious bureaucracy, and would particularly benefit non-religious couples who do not have a close relationship with any particular rabbi, the MK explained. Read more.
{Matzav.com Israel}
