Judy Maltz, haaretz.com; see also
'There are many reasons to be proud of Israel,' wrote former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak commenting on the video. 'Freedom of marriage is not one of them'
Image from article, with caption: An image from the Israeli Foreign Ministry's video on marriage in Israel
Excerpt:
The Israeli Foreign Ministry was hoping to promote a positive image of the country by posting a video flaunting its supposedly open and tolerant attitude toward marriage. It just forgot to mention that the “alternative” weddings it chose to highlight are often not recognized as legal in the country, and in some cases, can even land their participants in jail. ...
The video, which was posted on the ministry’s official Twitter page on Friday, drew dozens of angry and sarcastic responses, mainly from Israelis, who were clearly not the target audience considering that it was in English. Among those quick to point out the hypocrisy was even a former Israeli prime minister.
“There are many reasons to be proud of Israel. Freedom of marriage is not one of them,” wrote Ehud Barak, who retweeted the two-minute video. “It’s time that every couple can get married in Israel. Shabbat Shalom.”
Tomer Persico, a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute who specializes in matters of religion and state, tweeted the following response to the Foreign Ministry: "As someone whose wedding the state of Israel did not recognize this pathetic attempt at Hasbara [public diplomacy] [JB emphasis] makes me cringe. Israel has outlawed Jewish weddings outside the Chief Rabbinate and recognizes only those performed by approved Orthodox rabbis, blatantly limiting freedom of religion.” ...
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