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Utah Zoom weddings used by thousands of Israelis face new legislative threat

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Utah Zoom weddings used by thousands of Israelis face new legislative threat


Thousands of Israelis have already used an option offered by the U.S. state of Utah to marry via Zoom and register as legally wed. Israelis who did not want, or were unable, to marry through Israel’s Chief Rabbinate, the only authority through which Jews can marry and be registered as married in Israel, found a solution in the arrangement. Now, an internal legislative move in the U.S. state threatens that possibility.

In recent weeks, a bill introduced in the Utah Senate seeks to bar marriages conducted entirely remotely, without physical presence in the state, unless they were recognized before a certain date. The proposed legislation would require at least one of the spouses to be physically present in Utah during the wedding ceremony.

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Will the option for Jews to marry outside the rabbinate and register as married in Israel be revoked?

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(Photo: Alexander Dyachenko / Shutterstock)

According to data from the Hiddush religious freedom advocacy group, about 3,000 couples in 2024, in which at least one spouse is Israeli, were married in “Utah weddings” via Zoom or another video platform. Information from Utah County indicates that roughly 30% of all couples marrying through the remote procedure there are Israelis.

During the COVID pandemic, Utah authorized marriage ceremonies to be conducted via Zoom, enabling couples, including non-U.S. citizens, to marry and have their unions legally registered. After Utah residents, Israelis make up the largest national group to use the option.

In a landmark 2022 ruling, Israel’s Administrative Court instructed the Population and Immigration Authority and the Interior Ministry to recognize all couples married under the “Utah wedding” framework and register them as married. The decision effectively validated the registration of civil marriages conducted in Israel by remote means. Now, that option could be curtailed.

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אפליקציית זוםאפליקציית זום

Zoom app. About 30% of Utah weddings are of Israelis

(Photo: Thaspol Sangsee / Shutterstock)

“‘Utah weddings’ are a very common ‘bandage’ for the distorted reality in which the State of Israel does not allow many citizens to marry at all or to marry in accordance with their worldview,” said Rabbi Dr. Seth Farber, founder and chairman of the ITIM advocacy organization, which helps people navigate Israel’s religious bureaucracy

“Our assistance center at ITIM uses Utah weddings as a solution for many couples who seek to marry according to Jewish law but refuse to do so through the Chief Rabbinate,” he added.

“Israeli lawmakers must advance an arrangement that allows citizens to choose how to conduct their wedding ceremony. More and more couples would then choose a Jewish wedding.”

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Man arrested in Wyoming wanted for rape, domestic violence in Utah

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Man arrested in Wyoming wanted for rape, domestic violence in Utah


A man wanted for alleged rape and domestic violence in Utah was arrested in Wyoming.

He is “behind bars thanks to the work of eagle-eyed troopers with the Wyoming Highway Patrol,” WHP said on social media.

Troopers were alerted to a Be On The Look Out (BOLO) call at approximately 7 a.m. on Thursday for a suspect in a white Chrysler Seabreeze.

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Troopers in Rawlins, Wyoming, spotted the vehicle just after 8:30 a.m.

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The suspect was arrested without incident and transported to the Carbon County Jail.

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Hill AFB ends Starbase program that sparked STEM interest among Utah students

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Hill AFB ends Starbase program that sparked STEM interest among Utah students


CLEARFIELD — A program empowering northern Utah children to discover the possibilities of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics will end after more than a decade of operation.

This week, Hill Air Force Base announced that it is ending its sponsorship of the Starbase program.

Starbase, a U.S. Department of Defense program, is offered throughout the country to provide hands-on learning experiences to young students — primarily fifth graders, according to a description on the curriculum’s website.

Starbase at Hill Air Force Base opened in 2011, and over the past 15 years, has ignited early STEM interest in more than 25,000 students in Davis and Weber counties.

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Heather Ingle, a mother of two daughters — 14 and 11 — who have been in the program, said she was sad to hear that Starbase will no longer be offered at the northern Utah base.

“Just the thought of other kids not being able to have that guaranteed program, I think it’s sad,” she said.

Ingle’s oldest daughter participated in the weeklong Starbase program in Montana while their family was stationed in the Great Falls area. More recently, her 11-year-old daughter participated in it at Hill Air Force Base while the family has been stationed in Utah.

She said her 14-year-old was “strongly influenced” through the exploration of hands-on science, technology, engineering and mathematics experience and has shifted her career goals around based on what she learned.

Her younger daughter, on the other hand, wasn’t initially as interested in it.

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“And then the first day happened, she came home and she loved it, and totally denied that she didn’t want to go that day,” Ingle told KSL. “She really enjoyed it — she likes to learn new things.”

A Hill Air Force Base press release issued Tuesday didn’t go into specifics about why they’re concluding the program, but it did allude to a funding issue.

“Today, northern Utah benefits from a robust network of STEM programs, many of which were inspired or accelerated by Starbase’s early success. This expansion, combined with changes in national program funding, marks a natural moment for transition. Concluding the program allows Hill AFB to realign resources to meet the growing demands of its core national security mission, confident that the community is well supported by a diverse and vibrant STEM landscape,” the base said.

Starbase’s final days at Hill Air Force Base raised a question for Ingle regarding the program’s future elsewhere, as their family will soon be relocating back to Montana and hopes their youngest child has an opportunity to experience it.

“I have a 5-year-old as well, and I really am hoping that the Starbase program in general continues,” she said.

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A spokesperson for Hill Air Force Base said the program there will finish out the remainder of the school year and that it’s still active “at some other bases currently.”


Northern Utah benefits from a robust network of STEM programs, many of which were inspired or accelerated by Starbase’s early success.

–Hill Air Force Base


The base said it’s thankful to the many people who helped make Starbase a cornerstone in local STEM education.

“The base remains deeply committed to community partnership and will continue supporting educational outreach that inspires the next generation of innovators, leaders and problem‑solvers,” the base said.

For Ingle, she’s grateful for the opportunities her daughters have had at Starbase and for how it showed them a career they, too, can one day pursue.

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“Outside of the doctor, lawyer, cop, firefighter — you know, it opens their eyes into so many different careers and specialties out there that you can touch, and I love that exposure,” she said.

The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.



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Special Olympics torch run reaches Utah Capitol – KSLNewsRadio

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Special Olympics torch run reaches Utah Capitol – KSLNewsRadio


SALT LAKE CITY — The “Flame of Hope” made its way to the Utah State Capitol Wednesday morning as Special Olympics athletes and law enforcement came together for the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run.

The event is part of a 45-year tradition that raises awareness and support for Special Olympics athletes while strengthening the partnership between law enforcement and the community.

Paralympians ski in shorts and T-shirts, and some ask: Shouldn’t these Games be earlier?

“Law enforcement across the country teams up with Special Olympics chapters throughout the country and we do a torch run which is a fundraiser,” said Bill Newell, Law Enforcement Torch Run Council Chairman.

Organizers say the goal goes beyond fundraising — it’s about visibility and recognition for athletes across Utah.

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“We want them to be recognized. We want the community to see these athletes and what tremendous people they are and what great contributions they make,” Newell said.

For athletes, the Torch Run is also a chance to be seen and celebrated for their accomplishments.

“I would like to thank the First Lady, Commissioner Mason, Chief Reed, Special Olympics Utah and everyone who joined us today. Thank you for being here. Because of you, athletes like me are seen, heard and celebrated,” said Special Olympics athlete Josh Roberts.

The Torch Run will continue across Utah throughout the month, leading up to the Special Olympics Utah Summer Games in Cedar City on May 28.

“Join us in Cedar City for the Special Olympics Utah Summer Games. Come cheer, come celebrate and be a part of something very special. It’ll be the best thing you’ll do all summer,” Roberts said.

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Law enforcement agencies across the state will continue participating alongside Special Olympics athletes as the Torch Run moves from community to community ahead of the final leg in Cedar City.

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