Seeking a ‘pure relationship'? Israeli Religious-Zionist singles looking for love and marriage

Research conducted over the past 20 years has found that there have been changes in attitudes towards romantic relationships in late modernity. Partners expect more of relationships, and they are abandoned more easily than they were in the past. Religious fundamentalists reject both late-modern and modern attitudes towards romantic love, but the question of how moderate religious individuals and groups are affected by these changes remains unexamined. The article addresses this issue by focusing on the case of Israeli Religious-Zionist singles. Using Anthony Giddens' model of a gradual progression from a romantic love to a confluent love ideal type, the article claims that while Religious-Zionist dating norms encourage the romantic love ideal type of relationship, singles have gravitated toward a confluent love mindset; the rabbis, in an attempt to remedy the situation, adopt the Ultra-Orthodox ideology that views romantic love as superfluous. The results indicate that moderate religious individuals are indeed affected by late-modern attitudes towards intimate relations, and this is a source of tension since they continue to espouse religious 'family values' as well.