In recent years, senior conversion officials have warned interfaith marriage was becoming a growing phenomenon in Israel.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
According to new data provided by the Central Bureau of Statistics and the Interior Ministry following a request from Dr. Netanel Fisher of the Academic Center for Law and Science in Hod Hasharon, there are 1.3 million couples in Israel, 1.26 million of which are Jewish, and 85,000 of which are interfaith marriages in which one member is Jewish.
A majority of interfaith marriages in Israel – 52,000 – are between a Jewish man and a non-Jewish woman. Children conceived through such marriages are not considered Jewish according to Jewish law.
Just 32,000 such marriages are between a Jewish woman and a non-Jewish man.
Eight-seven percent of Jewish men and women who are intermarried are in relationships with people who do not belong to a specific religion and are likely from the former Soviet Union.
Despite claims by the extremist Lehava group, which opposes interfaith and inter-ethnic interaction, relationships, and marriages, Jewish women are marrying Arab men at a negligible rate. Jewish women are, however, more likely to Arab men than Jewish men are to marry Arab women, according to the CBS data.
According to Fisher, "The phenomenon of interfaith marriage is not just a problem for Judaism outside of Israel but of Judaism in Israel."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
