The Interior Ministry of Iceland has included Judaism in its list of state-recognized religious and life-stance groups.
The move previously this year means that Icelandic Jews may register themselves and their children as belonging to the nation’s Jewish community.
Organizations recognized by the state as representing a community may benefit from the country’s church tax, which the government collects from each person who is older than 16. It’s about $100 annually.
With a total population of 356,991 people, the country has about 200 Jews.
The country has 50 recognized religious groups. Church tax collected from those who are unregistered as belonging to one of those groups goes toward the promotion of higher education and science.
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