Wedding in America or in Israel
Question
Erev Tov
My question: I live in Miami and I am waiting for my residence that can take more than 2 years. I met my zivug. He is from Israel. He is a US citizen and lives in Miami too. He wants to marry in Eretz Israel because his mother who lives there is 90 years old, it is a high risk if she travels because her heart and his whole family lives also there. I cannot leave the United States at least in case we marry by the civil law before and wait between 3 and 6 months to obtain a permit to travel and marry by the jupa there. If we get married by law here, we have to live together because the immigration office investigates outsiders who marry US citizens, to find out if they are fake or real. I know that civil marriage is only halfway to the real marriage that is jupa … I love HaShem and I want to do the right thing, but I don’t want to disappoint my boyfriend asking him to marry me here. and getting married in Israel is also my dream.
what should I to do?
Todah Rabah ve brajot
Answers
Firstly, please accept my personal Mazal Tov! Bezrat Hashem you and your Bashert should build a beautiful Jewish home together.
Personally, I would suggest that you try to speak with a religious immigration lawyer who will understand exactly all of the legal issues and the Halachic ones as well. If it transpires that there are no legal alternatives I would suggest that perhaps you and your Bashert discuss the possibility of your marrying in America and, at the first possible opportunity, you make an enormous party in Israel for all of his family with his mother being the “guest of honor”.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team