Cost of Marriage, Death and Keeping Kosher Goes Up in Israel

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Jewish life and death in Israel will cost more, starting next month, as fees rise for religious services such as burial, marriage registration, ritual immersion and kashrut supervision. That, according to an internal Religious Services Ministry document obtained by Haaretz.

The ministry confirmed the planned increases, attributing them to “price rises, linkage to the Consumer Price Index and various changes since the last fee update, in 2003.”

The price hikes will affect every Israeli family, religiously observant or not, as well as tourists and other visitors, since hotels, restaurants and food manufacturers can be expected to pass on the higher costs of kashrut supervision to their customers.

The cost of marriage registration will rise from NIS 870 to NIS 1,123 – NIS 775 for the license, up from NIS 600, and NIS 174, up from NIS 135, for the certificate that both the bride and the groom needs attesting to their single status. The fee for regular monthly immersion for women at a ritual bath (mikveh) run by a local religious council will rise by 50%.

The annual fees paid by restaurants that observe Jewish dietary laws is set to rise.

For more go to Haaretz