Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai announced on Sunday that the city was instituting a new policy allowing same-sex and non-traditional couples to register for tax, child care and other benefits.
“In honor of Pride Week, we have decided to challenge the government and allow couples to declare their union,” Huldai said in a statement posted to Facebook.
The policy would also allow heterosexual couples that do not wish to marry through the Chief Rabbinate to register as a couple without leaving the country as is the current practice.
The state legally recognizes civil marriages performed abroad, but they are not recognized according to Jewish law and the Chief Rabbinate.
Gay marriage is not allowed in Israel, as the Chief Rabbinate has jurisdiction over marriages in the country and does not recognize same-sex unions.