A detailed explanation of our process can be found in our Complete Guide for Couples video series. If our approach aligns with the kind of ceremony the couple is seeking, their next step is to complete our online form titled, “I Do!” Once submitted, we schedule an initial consultation, either in person at our Jerusalem office or via a video call, depending on the couple’s preference.

No.

Absolutely. During the initial consultation, our Director of Customer Relations reviews the structure of the ceremony with the couple. For specific halachic questions or requests, the couple is then referred to our Director of the Halacha Division, who works with them to accommodate their preferences – within the framework of Jewish law. Couples can feel free to reach out to Rabbi Kalman Pesach Davidson directly at RavChuck@Chuppot.org.il for any halachic questions.

At Chuppot, every ceremony is officiated by one of our rabbis. However, Jewish law does not require the officiant to be a rabbi. Any Jewish individual with sufficient knowledge of the halachic requirements of the ceremony may serve in this role.

Couples who apply to marry through Chuppot are required to provide a copy of their Israeli identity card (teudat zehut) including the appendix (search) and a registration summary from the Israeli population registry.

Couples who wish to get married through Chuppot are required to sign an affidavit of both the bride and groom, intended to prevent cases of bigamy and to ensure halachic eligibility to marry.

Chuppot couples are also required to sign the Women’s Justice Center’s halachic prenuptial agreement, a document designed to ensure a just and fair marriage and to prevent get refusal, extortion, and classic cases of agunot (“chained women” unable to obtain a Jewish writ of divorce).

Finally, they are also required to sign a document that commits them to arranging a Jewish divorce properly in the event of a separation. We provide all of these legal documents to the couple, and some require signatures alongside an attorney.

No, marriages performed by Chuppot alone are not officially recognized by the Israeli state.

In order to be legally registered as married in Israel, couples must either marry through the Chief Rabbinate or present a valid foreign marriage certificate to the Ministry of Interior. Since our couples prefer not to marry through the Chief Rabbinate, Chuppot arranges a legal marriage in the state of Utah via Zoom. The couple receives an official, legally valid U.S. marriage certificate, which is accepted by the Israeli authorities for registration. This process allows couples to be recognized as legally married in Israel without going through the Rabbinate.

Yes, there is a way to get legally registered as a married couple in Israel when you marry through Chuppot — without going through the Chief Rabbinate.

While marriages performed by Chuppot are not recognized by the Rabbinate or automatically registered by the state, we offer a simple and legal alternative: Chuppot arranges a civil marriage for the couple in the state of Utah via Zoom. This legal U.S. marriage is conducted by an ordained Chuppot representative authorized to perform marriages in Utah. Once the couple receives their official American marriage certificate, they present it to Israel’s Ministry of Interior (Misrad HaPnim), which registers them as legally married in the Israeli population registry.

This process allows couples to have both a halachic wedding with Chuppot and full legal recognition by the state — all without dealing with the Chief Rabbinate.

Yes. The relevant legal reference appears in section 7 of the Marriage and Divorce Ordinance. It states: “Anyone who does not register their marriage or divorce, or who does not register the marriage or divorce that he performed for another, is subject to imprisonment for two years.”

There is no legal restriction to performing a chuppah according to the laws of Moses and Israel when the Rabbinate unjustly refuses to register their marriage. In the instances where the official Rabbinate would have agreed to register the marriage, we use a range of procedures to keep both the couple and the officiant away from criminal procedures, such as registration of a civil marriage with the Interior Ministry, a variety of agreements signed by the couples, the identity of the officiant and the witnesses, etc.

Chuppot is committed to acting responsibly toward the couples and towards the public, so we require the signing of affidavits and binding agreements that will prevent cases of extortion /divorce refusal, agunot, bigamy and mamzarut. The couples will be given full explanations of the meaning of the agreements, and will sign them before an attorney.

Yes. All of Chuppot’s rabbinic activities are beholden to Jewish law and do not go beyond its boundaries. For any halachic questions about our services, please reach out to our Director of the Halacha Department, Rabbi Kalman Pesach Davidson, at RavChuck@Chuppot.org.il

A straight line. Our wedding officiants are both male and female Orthodox rabbis and halachic advisors with a broad vision; they are beholden to Jewish law and act without deviation from it. They do not decide to declare something “forbidden” on what is permissible, and they do not decide to declare something “permissible” on that which is forbidden. With regard to the halachic issues relevant to the chuppah and kiddushin, the rabbis of Chuppot seek solutions to problems, not problems in solutions.

Absolutely. We were founded, first and foremost, to provide a solution and a supportive address for individuals whom the Rabbinate unjustly prevents from registering for marriage in Israel. Men and women who have undergone conversion through recognized halachic processes such as Rabbi Chaim Amsalem’s Ahavat HaGer (Love for the Convert), Giyur K’Halacha, and similar frameworks, are fully Jewish for all intents and purposes.

Before the chuppah is arranged the couple signs an agreement with us that requires them to arrange a divorce in a religious court in the event of a separation. According to the agreement, in the event of a separation, there is a significant financial sanction against spouses who do not arrange a proper halachic divorce. In addition, Chuppot will maintain an orderly and transparent register of all the couples who perform a marriage ceremony through us.

Yes, most definitely. Chuppot couples arrange a ketubah with the traditional text – ‘Nachalat Shiva’ or the Sephardic text. Our ketubah requires only the signature of witnesses, without the signature of the groom. There is, however, no obligation within a Chuppot wedding to read the ketubah under the chuppah, though our wedding officiant will minimally mention that a ketubah has been signed according to Jewish law. If the couple wishes, they can, in addition to the traditional ketubah, write their own personal text reflecting their own values, which may be read under the chuppah.

Unlike private organizations and entities that hold weddings in the Jewish spirit, even for those who cannot marry according to Halacha – we officiate marriage ceremonies according to the Laws of Moses and Israel only. Every community deserves a solution, but our organization is a private Orthodox body, so despite our empathy for those who will not be able to hold a Chuppah through us, we will not be able to address all the couples that the state does not currently allow to marry – among them LGBTQ+ couples.

Not at all. The Chief Rabbinate is damaging its own standing more than anyone else. Year after year, fewer couples elect to marry through the Rabbinate, reflecting a deep and growing loss of trust. Chuppot’s rabbis are working to reverse that damage – not by abandoning tradition, but rather by offering a dignified halachic alternative to those the Rabbinate pushes away, and by keeping these couples connected to Judaism.

On the contrary. The oppression of women who are refused a get, and agunot living under the auspices of the current halachic policy of the Chief Rabbinate – this is what weakens the institution of marriage. The legal and halachic tools we use neutralize most couples’ fears about having a halachic Jewish wedding.

Yes there is. It is 1700 NIS.
This amount is intended to cover the cost of the process – the personal consultation and legal documents, finding the suitable match between the couple and Rabbi, printing the ketubah and the general work of the Rabbi who will officiate your Chuppah, including travel.
We are a non-for-profit organization.
It is important to us that the payment (which is to cover the cost) will not be a barrier to those who need us. If you cannot afford the full payment, contact us and we will examine together a way for you to marry through us without payment being the issue.
Those who wish to support our activity are invited to donate here, and in any case, please do not transfer money through the Rabbi’s. Their salary is included in the payment and is transferred through us in an orderly manner.

Why shouldn’t there be?! There is no halachic restriction that prevents women from holding a Chuppah according to the Laws of Moses and Israel, and in general we at Chuppot would be happy to see more integration of women in halachic and public positions in the provision of religious services.