In Israel there are approximately 300,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union who have entered the country under the "The Law of Return", yet are not Jewish or not classified as Jews according to halakha (Jewish Orthodox religious law). About 80% of these immigrants who are not classified as Jews are either children or grandchildren of a Jewish father or grandfather, the latter who married a non-Jewish woman. Back in the former Soviet Union, where an individual’s religious identity was determined by his father’s religion, these individuals defined themselves and were perceived by others as Jews. With their arrival in Israel, they learned that an individual’s Jewishness is determined by his/her mother according to Jewish Orthodox religious law and that they are likely to encounter numerous unexpected difficulties. The remaining 20% of the non-Jewish immigrants are married to Jews or to individuals entitled to citizenship under the Law of Return.

About 110,000 of immigrant families in Israel are mixed (intermarried) families, meaning that one of the spouses is not Jewish or is not classified as a Jew by the Jewish religious law. The percentage of intermarried families from the former Soviet Union who reside in Israel is constantly on the rise. In the last few years, about 80% of the families arriving each year to Israel from the former Soviet Union are intermarried couples. Members of these families experience many hardships in their attempts to integrate into Israeli society, particularly relating to matters such as marriage, divorce, burial, conversion to Judaism, civil status and reunification with family members remaining in their countries of origin.

The Association for the Protection of Mixed Families' Rights (AMF) was established in order to assist these families with the variety of difficulties which they encounter. The AMF believes that the issue of intermarried families is a social phenomenon which deserves the attention of the entire Israeli public so that these families can be assisted in realizing their aspirations of integrating into Israeli society with equal rights granted all Israeli citizens..