Around 3,000 Israeli couples got married in Utah last year through the state's video-conferencing system, avoiding the Chief Rabbinate and the challenges of traveling abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of couples using the system has significantly increased from previous years. Israel does not have civil marriage, and religious political parties object to it. The lack of options for civil or non-Chief Rabbinate Jewish marriages affects many Israelis, including those who are not recognized as Jewish by the rabbinate or prefer civil marriages. The Supreme Court ruled that the State of Israel must recognize Utah marriages.