More in ‘civil unions’

Knesset Moves Toward Civil Unions

Would provide marriage rights for non-Jewish Israelis
By Marissa Brostoff | 2:03 PM Oct 27, 2009

A bill being prepared in Israel’s Knesset would allow persons “without religion” to partner in civil unions, in contrast to the current requirement that all marriage in Israel be approved by religious authorities. The bill aims to address the situation of people such as many Russian immigrants or converts to Judaism who are not considered ...

British Rule on What Makes a Jew

Not mom anymore
By | 2:06 PM Jul 10, 2009

The British Court of Appeal ruled late last month that Jewish schools must admit students based on faith, not birth or conversion. Citing the Race Relations Act of 1976, the three judges overruled a prior judgment that upheld the right of Jews’ Free School, the oldest and largest Jewish day school in Britain, to reject ...

Middle East

The Other Civil Union

Never mind gay marriage. In Israel, even the conventional variety is tricky.
By Michael Weiss | 7:00 AM Jul 1, 2009

The term “civil union” has acquired special meaning in the United States as the alternative legal code allowing same-sex couples to enjoy the social and economic advantages of marriage. But in Israel, it connotes something simpler: the right for any couple, gay or straight, to wed without the approval of the Chief Rabbinate, an Orthodox ...