Within the framework of the visit to Israel the chairman of the State Agency for Religious Issues Zaza Vashakmadze and the delegation members met with the head of the Christian Affairs Department of the Ministry of Justice of Israel Josh Hirschler.

Zaza Vashakmadze became interested in the legislative basis and experience that defines the standards of freedom of religion in Israel. According to Hirschler religion and state are not seperated from each other in Israel. Regulations of the religious sphere are divided in three Ministries in Israel: MIA, Justice and Tourism. Relationship with the religious groups are governed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the issues of the Jewish religion are fully included in the competence of the Minister of Religions.

The State cares about religious buildings of the religious communities and their cemeteries as well as abondedned religious buildings and their ruins.
The host emphasized the religious diversity of Israel and noted that there were Muslims, Druze, Bakhaists and 13 different churches of Christians (Orthodox, Catholics, Armenians, Anglicans, Copts and others.). It should be noted that the Ministry of Justice is doing the registration of citizens according to their religious affiliation. If a person changes its confession or refuses to accapt the before affiliated religion the record was being done at the Ministry of Justice.

There is a religious court in Israel the competence of which includes to solve the issues of marriages, divorces and other issues of family law of the population of this religion. And for those who didn’t belong to aby religion there was a possibility to apply for a civil court. The right ro a religious court has 13 religious communities but as it was said at the meeting not everyone was using that right and the right to decide the matters had been delegated to the court of other relative religions.

As the Georgian delegation interested in the religious legislation of Israel the head of the Christian Affairs Department of the Ministry of Justice of Israel promised the guests to send them all the relevant laws and regulations.