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All issues of personal status, including marriage and divorce are under the control of the Orthodox rabbinic authorities in Israel, in a decision that goes back to the creation of the state. There is no civil marriage in Israel, only religious marriage, although civil marriages are retroactively recognized by the government. The issue of gays is especially problematic.

Kaplan-Wildmann, an Orthodox Jewish theater director, says Israeli society, and even the more liberal parts of the Orthodox world, accept his sexual orientation.

“We hold hands in the street,” he told The Media Line. “Israel is more open to LGBT rights than a lot of other countries. There is a sense that Israel has bigger issues to deal with.”

In fact, Tel Aviv is considered a gay cultural capital to rival the reputations of Berlin or San Francisco, and in 2012 was voted the most popular city in the world by gay travellers.

Yet many gays say they would like to be able to get married in Israel. The issue has come to the fore after Ireland, long considered a conservative Catholic stronghold — so much so that divorce only became legal in 1995. Last week, Ireland became the first country to recognize same-sex unions through a referendum. Could a similar popular movement occur in Israel?

“The law has to catch up,” Kaplan-Wildmann explained. “I look forward to more equality but gay marriage is not the main issue,” he said, adding that a change in the legal system to allow civil partnership for all citizens is the priority.