Approximately 30,000 Jewish marriages are registered annually in Israel. 83% of these are registered with the rabbinate and are performed in accordance with Jewish tradition. 81% of Jewish Israelis consider it ‘very important’ or ‘important’ to be married with a rabbinic blessing. Almost half (49%) of this population believe that there should be legal civil marriage in Israel, though only 26% would opt for this alternative. (These statistics are compiled from the central bureau of statistics and the study of the Avi Chai Foundation, February, 2002).