Monday, March 30, 2009

Religion and State in Israel - March 30, 2009 (Section 1)

Religion and State in Israel

March 30, 2009 (Section 1) (continues in Section 2)

Click here to read ONLINE

Editor – Joel Katz

Religion and State in Israel is not affiliated with any organization or movement.


Shas-Likud coalition deal includes record funding for yeshivas, boosts child allowances

By Yair Ettinger and Shahar Ilan www.haaretz.com March 25, 2009


The party's main achievement is securing money for its yeshivas and women's seminars, totaling NIS 975 million in each of the next two years, raising state funding for yeshivas by NIS 250 million. This is the highest sum ever to be paid yeshivas by the state. 

Likud also agreed to pay Shas an additional NIS 1.4 billion for child allowances over the next three years, bringing the sum close to what it was before then-finance minister Netanyahu's 2003 cuts. 


UTJ gets rabbi's approval to join Netanyahu's government

By Ronen Medzini www.ynetnews.com March 30, 2009

United Torah Judaism's way into Benjamin Netanyahu's government has been paved, Ynet learned Monday afternoon.

The ultra-Orthodox party's Knesset members met with their Lithuanian leader, Rabbi Yosef Sholom Elyashiv, at his Jerusalem home. 

The rabbi approved the compromise on the issue of conversion and gave the MKs the green light to sign a coalition agreement with the Likud.


UTJ won't join gov't that does 'wholesale conversions'

By Matthew Wagner www.jpost.com March 23, 2009

Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the preeminent halachic authority for the Lithuanian haredi community, announced Monday that United Torah Judaism's five MKs would not join a government that performs "wholesale conversions," according to a UTJ source.

During a meeting with UTJ MKs at his home in Jerusalem, Elyashiv said the party could not join the government under the present coalition agreement between the Likud and Israel Beiteinu, which would empower city rabbis to perform conversions.


Buying a coalition

Haaretz Editorial www.haaretz.com March 25, 2009

There is nothing "social" about the way child allotments were and the way the ultra-Orthodox parties want them to be.

These allotments encourage people to have children, so they encourage poverty. All this is simply the ultra-Orthodox parties bribing their voters.

According to many reports, Shas and Likud agreed to increase stipends even before the election, which is what thwarted the establishment of a government headed by Kadima's Tzipi Livni. Netanyahu offered the ultra-Orthodox more than Livni did, and thus bought his government with money in a clearance sale of values.

And Netanyahu believes in these values - equality among children, encouraging the ultra-Orthodox and Arabs to work, and parents' responsibility for supporting their children.


Families of religious soldiers get a base motel

By Anshel Pfeffer www.haaretz.com March 27, 2009


A motel for religious married staff members and families of the Bahad 1 Officers School will be inaugurated next week on the Israel Defense Forces' base near Mitzpe Ramon, as part of the changes planned in the school due to the increase in religious staff and cadets. 

The motel is also intended to accommodate rabbis who come to lecture the soldiers over the weekend.

…The increase in religious trainees has also led to the construction of a new synagogue, due to be completed soon, which is three times larger than the old one. 

Unlike many military synagogues, which have room for men only, the new Bahad 1 synagogue will have a women's gallery. 

For the past five years all female officer cadets have been trained together with the men in Bahad 1, although a male-only company and female-only platoon are available for religious cadets who insist on training separately. 

The IDF is also planning to renovate Bahad 1's swimming pool with walls around it, and have separate swimming hours for men and women.


IDF lets rabbis blur boundaries between religion and state

Haaretz Editorial www.haaretz.com March 29, 2009

The plans to renovate the swimming pool at the army's Bahad 1 officers' school are not surprising, but they should be cause for concern.

At first glance, it's an issue of adapting to changing needs at the base as a result of the rising number of religiously observant trainees and officers.

In practice, it is another ill wind blowing from the religious radicalization that is taking control of the Israel Defense Forces. 


Religious IDF soldiers walk out of event featuring female singer

By Amos Harel www.haaretz.com March 25, 2009

About 100 religious soldiers left a Paratroop Brigade assembly earlier this month to avoid being present at the performance of a female singer, the army weekly Bamahane reported last week. 

Their departure stemmed from their belief that halakha, or Jewish religious law, prohibits them from hearing a woman sing. Their position has the support of the army rabbinate. 

Sources in the army rabbinate said that halakha supports the soldiers' decision to leave.

The rabbinate has urged commanders to show sensitivity in such situations and either to excuse religious soldiers in advance from attending any portion of a ceremony that poses a problem or to simply not feature female singers at such programs. 


Ex-justice Barak: Don't expand rabbis' jurisdiction

By Yair Ettinger www.haaretz.com March 27, 2009

Former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak called upon Justice Minister-designate Yaakov Neeman to oppose the initiative of expanding rabbinical courts' authority into areas of civil law and arbitration yesterday. 

"The very notion that dayanim (rabbinical judges) sitting under the emblem of the State of Israel will serve as arbitrators is improper," said Barak at a conference Neeman and himself took participated in.

"Giving it a state blessing is hard, and the idea of civil jurisdiction authorities is problematic." 

Ultra-Orthodox party Shas is striving to amend the law of rabbinical courts during the Knesset term and Haaretz reported recently that Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef had met with Neeman this week to discuss the matter.


Masorti wedding ad angers Chief Rabbinate

By Kobi Nahshoni www.ynetnews.com March 24, 2009


The Chief Rabbinate's general attorney Shimon Ullman sent a letter to the Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) on Tuesday urging it to take off the air or revise a radio ad produced by the Israel Masorti Movement.

Ullman claimed that the commercial, which encourages couples to consider marrying in a Conservative ceremony, rather than an Orthodox one, is fraudulent and deceitful, because it fails to note that a Conservative wedding is not recognized by the state's authorities.

In his letter to IBA, Ullman referred to the Masorti Movement as "an organization that undermines official state institutions."

A spokesman for the Masorti movement said that the Rabbinate's claims were "absurd," since the commercial itself stressed that the movement was not affiliated with the Orthodox establishment.

He added that the movement makes it clear to all marriage applicants that the Masorti ceremony is not recognized by the state, and recommends that couples also hold a civil wedding abroad, so that they can register with the Interior Ministry.


The Chevra Kadisha should lay zealotry to rest

By Rabbi Seth Farber www.jpost.com March 30, 2009

Rabbi Seth (Shaul) Farber received his Ph.D. from the Hebrew University and his rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva University. He is the founder of ITIM: The Jewish Life Information Center

The recent uproar regarding the refusal of an Israeli burial society (Chevra kadisha) to allow a woman to eulogize her relative highlights a broader problem in Israeli Jewish culture.

The fact is that too many of those charged with assisting rank-and-file Israelis with their experience of Jewish life have little regard for the values of their clientele.

…Those seeking to be zealots in the service of Halacha are in fact doing a disservice both to Orthodox Judaism and to the Jewish people. There is no room for them when it comes to providing religious services.


Rabbi: Satan dances as women attend funerals

By Sharon Roffe-Ofir www.ynetnews.com March 28, 2009

Batya (pseudonym) will not forget the day her father was buried at the Migdal Haemek cemetery. Not only was she forced to deal with a great loss, she was also humiliated at the graveyard when she was prevented from lamenting her father over this grave.

…She went on the stage and said she would like to lament her father, but Rabbi Amar suddenly asked her to get off the podium.

"I was surprised. I looked at him and said, 'What do you mean? I want to say a few words to my father.' But he insisted," she says. "The mayor and other people tried to talk to him, and he replied, 'You are a woman, you mustn't say a word.'


More on Orthodox Women Rabbis

By Elana Sztokman http://blog.elanasztokman.com Opinion March 27, 2009

Without the title of Rabbi, women remain in a perpetually wanting, yearning, unfulfilled position, like the hyperbola that never reaches the X axis, like Sisyphus never finishing his task, like Moses gazing at the Holy Land from a mountaintop over the Jordan River.

Without the title of rabbi, women remain in an inferior position no matter how learned, pious or qualified they might be. The title of Rabbi is recognition, acknowledgment, respect and power, all of which women are systematically deprived of by being deprived the title.

…Orthodoxy may call itself a religious movement, but there is nothing spiritual going on here. It is all about political, power dynamics aimed at retaining control of a social status quo.

So long as women are kept “in their place”, people can continue to call themselves “Orthodox”. But let’s be clear: this may be “Orthodox”, but there is nothing Godly about this stance.


Revolutionary hotline provides halachic counsel for women

By Tzofia Hirschfeld www.ynetnews.com March 25, 2009

The Nishmat Center for Advanced Jewish Studies for Women in Jerusalem, founded by Rabbi Yehuda Henkin and his wife, Rabbanit Chana Henkin, created a program meant to train women to become Yoatzot Halacha (halachic consultants) and provide counsel on women's halachic issues.

The two-year program, called Keren Ariel, includes in-depth Jewish studies, as well as courses in psychology, physiology, sexual practices and bridal instruction. Only married, Orthodox women are admitted to the program.


One On One: Interview with Daniel Gordis

By Ruthie Blum Leibowitz www.jpost.com March 26, 2009

Author of Saving Israel: How the Jewish People Can Win a War that May Never End


Speaking of this era's challenges, as a traditional Jew do you not understand the fear of a slippery slope where religious pluralism is concerned - an issue that has come strongly to the fore in the forming of the current coalition?

Of course I understand the fear of the slippery slope. Ideally, we want a country and a society in which people recognized as Jews are recognized as Jews across the board, so that they can marry each other legally, or get divorced and remarry.

The question is: What is the cost of that dream? If the cost is a central rabbinate controlled by a small number of people who are largely out of touch with society, it's too high.

The rabbinic institutions in this country are designed to protect against the slippery slope you mention, but they have become so insular and protective of their own territory that they do not allow Judaism to compete in the marketplace of ideas.


Hundreds Use Kosher Transportation Initiative Connecting Jerusalem Neighborhoods to Kosel

By Yechiel Sever http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com March 26, 2009

Hundreds of chareidim have used a kosher transportation system operated privately along the Number 2 bus route in Jerusalem.

The buses depart every half hour, on the half hour, from Har Nof and from the City of David parking lot near the Kosel Maarovi.

Many passengers use the kosher transportation to reach the Kosel in sanctity, and some use the special arrangement to travel from Har Nof to neighborhoods in North Jerusalem and for other routes within the city.


Orthodox, El Al Tensions

By Nathan Jeffay www.forward.com March 25, 2009


The Rabbinical Transportation Committee, an influential body representing a cross-section of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, community, has published a guide telling people how to fly “kosher” around the world — a kind of Michelin Guide for observant travelers.

El Al’s generous provision of in-flight movies — a welcome amenity for most passengers — drew fire from the rabbinic inspectors. They accuse El Al of placing religious passengers under the influence of secular culture and “immodest” images.


London rabbi spooked by ghost

By Kobi Nahshoni www.ynetnews.com March 30, 2009

The Rabbinical Centre of Europe’s Response department in Israel, which provides halachic answers to the questions of European rabbis, was approached by Rabbi Levy Yitzhak Raskin of London on behalf of a fellow rabbi who asked not to be identified.

According to Raskin, when the distraught rabbi turned to his congregation for help, "they confirmed that these strange events have occurred in the past, and estimated that the noises were caused by the ghost of a rabbi… who was the synagogue's first rabbi and passed away 40 years ago, and is now seeking tikkun for his spirit."

Upon receiving this query RCE member Rabbi Mordechai Biton immediately forwarded it to Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar and Rabbi Yitzhak Batzri.


Kiryat Yovel Residents Davened in the Street

By Yechiel Sever www.theyeshivaworld.com March 30, 2009

The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court last week responded to a City Hall request and issued an order prohibiting residents in the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood from davening in an area apartment since doing so is zoning violation.

The residents on Friday, represented by attorney Yoel Shtub turned to the court seeking an emergency order canceling the prohibition.


Handful of Kiryat Yovel Residents Provoke Chareidim on Shabbos

By Yechiel Sever http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com March 26, 2009

A handful of secular residents in Jerusalem's Kiryat Yovel neighborhood have repeatedly plagued the day-to-day life of chareidim living in the neighborhood.

Last Shabbos the group again tried to disrupt Shabbos tefillos, which are held in a private home in the neighborhood because the kehilloh has not yet been allocated proper facilities near their homes, but the police were alerted to the situation and stepped in.


Jews of the Upper Galil Unite in Hakhel

www.shturem.org March 30, 2009


Photo - Shturem.org

More than 800 men, women and children from all walks of life in Tzfas and the Upper Galil participated in a Hakhel event last night, in preparation for Birchas HaChamoh


In Perspective: Loyalty cuts both ways

By Daniel Gordis www.jpost.com Opinion March 29, 2009

The writer is senior vice president of the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. His newest book, Saving Israel: How the Jewish People Can Win a War that May Never End, has just been published. He blogs at www.danielgordis.org.

Someone I know in that community told me this week that they've now organized informal patrols to walk their teenage kids on Friday night, so that they can come and go without being molested.

It sounds a bit like Europe, doesn't it? Exactly the condition that Zionism was meant to change, only now it's happening here, and now the perpetrators are "Jews" (I use the quotes advisedly).

…Loyalty cuts both ways. Citizens, to be sure, can be expected to show a modicum of loyalty to the democratic state in which they live. The olim of Ramat Beit Shemesh gave up everything to come here, and now many live in fear. There are enemies of Israel who are terrorizing some of Zionism's best.


Court Orders Yated to Pay NIS 70,000 in Libel Suit

www.theyeshivaworld.com March 24, 2009

In a libel suit against the chareidi Yated Neeman newspaper, a Jerusalem court ordered the newspaper to pay Rabbi Yisrael Rosen of Tzomet Institute NIS 70,000.

The case deals with an article written about four years ago, in which terrible adjectives were used in describing Rav Rosen, including “fool, ignoramus, worthless rat and simpleton”.


Rabbonim: Use Only Shomer Shabbos Taxis

www.theyeshivaworld.com March 24, 2009

The Vaad Mishmeres Shabbos in Ashdod is urging chareidi residents of the city to only use taxis whose vehicles display the Shomer Shabbos sticker in an effort to support those companies which do not contribute to chilul Shabbos in the city.

The rabbonim also urge drivers working for those firms to cease driving people privately on Shabbos, outside the company framework, obviously referring to non-frum drivers employed by a shomer Shabbos firm.


Religion and State in Israel

March 30, 2009 (Section 1) (continues in Section 2)

Click here to read ONLINE

Editor – Joel Katz

Religion and State in Israel is not affiliated with any organization or movement.

Religion and State in Israel - March 30, 2009 (Section 2)

Religion and State in Israel

March 30, 2009 (Section 2) (continued from Section 1)

Click here to read ONLINE

Editor – Joel Katz

Religion and State in Israel is not affiliated with any organization or movement.


'Pope's visit won't stop us from praying at Western Wall'

By Ari Galahar www.ynetnews.com March 29, 2009


Responding to reports that Pope Benedict's planned stay in east Jerusalem and his scheduled visits to the Old City and the Western Wall are expected to lead to the closing of major routes in the city, Rabbi Rabinovitch said:

"It's inconceivable that the pope's visit would hurt worshippers at the Western Wall, some of whom have been praying there daily."

…The regular worshipers at the Wall stressed that they had no objection to the pope's visit, as long as it did not interrupt with their daily prayers there.


Israel to spend NIS 6 million on Benedict XVI's visit to Nazareth

By Irit Rosenblum www.haaretz.com March 30, 2009

Israel announced yesterday that it plans to invest NIS 5.7 million in a religious ceremony led by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit this May. 

The pope will conduct a large mass on Mount Precipice…The ceremony is expected to draw 35,000 worshippers. 


Pope Benedict XVI and the Jews

By Rabbi David Rosen www.jpost.com Opinion March 30, 2009

The writer, former chief rabbi of Ireland, heads the American Jewish Committee's Department of Interreligious Affairs and is also the chairman of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations.

Not everyone in the Church has appreciated the central role that Israel plays in contemporary as well as historic Jewish identity. 

Pope Benedict XVI does, and he fully realizes that the relationship between the Vatican and the State of Israel is inextricably bound up with the relationship between the Jewish people and the Catholic Church.


Israeli Gedolim Caution against Going to Hotels for Pesach

www.vosizneias.com March 25, 2009

Gedolim in Bnei Brak have come out against going to hotels for Pesach. A proclamation signed by Rav Y. B. Wozner, Rav Yehuda Silman, Rav Shimon Baadani, Rav Menachem M. Shafran and other rabbonim, states:

Trying to enrich themselves at the expense of the chareidi public, businesses are churning out propaganda, a plethora of articles and brainwashing to turn the holy days of Pesach into a "routine vacation" at various hotels in the Dead Sea and Tiverya.

…The proclamation also mentions that newspapers and advertising agencies conceal the fact that every hotel room has television and films.

They also cover up the fact that singers perform in the evening, whose negative ramifications are well known from the past. 

Hotels also have other harmful influences which are detrimental to adults and children alike, and which contravene accepted standards of tznius and kedusha.


Jerusalem businesses warned not to sell bread on Passover

By Kobi Nahshoni www.ynetnews.com March 24, 2009


The ultra-Orthodox community's Court of Justice and the Committee for Sanctity of Shabbat in Jerusalem recently sent warning letters to 80 businesses in the capital planning to sell leavened food during the Passover holiday, Ynet has learned.

The business owners were warned that "the punishment for the blasphemy expected to hit the holy city is extremely severe, and you will be the only ones responsible for this."


More restaurants to remain non-kosher this Pesach

By Sarit Sardas-Trotino www.ynetnews.com March 29, 2009

The recession and the high cost involved in the process of making a kitchen kosher for Pesach are expected to lead to a drop of 20% in the number of restaurants that plan to offer kosher-for-Passover dishes to their customers this upcoming holiday.

Of the 7,300 restaurants in Israel, about 1,300 have a kashrut certificate and another 300 are defined kosher, though they operate without kashrut certification.


Farmers Prepare Cows for Passover

www.israelnationalnews.com March 25, 2009

Israeli farmers have begun to prepare cows for the Passover holiday, set to begin in just two weeks. During the holiday, Jews do not eat any leavened products, nor do they feed leavened products to their animals.

Farmers begin to introduce the cows to a non-leavened diet in stages. The Passover diet includes legumes, corn, and sesame seeds. In addition, milk produced for the holiday undergoes extra filtration to make sure it doesn’t contain any leavened bits.


Mekorot to Use Underground Water to Supply Bnei Brak and Jerusalem Corridor during Pesach

By Yechiel Sever http://chareidi.shemayisrael.com March 26, 2009

In response to a letter from MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni, Mekorot CEO Ido Rosilio announced that the Jerusalem Corridor and Bnei Brak would be supplied with well water, while Haifa would be supplied with well water and reservoir water.

Rabbi Gafni's letter, sent several weeks ago, described the problem involved in using water supplied by the National Carrier during Pesach due to very real concerns that this water contains chometz since it is kept exposed. 

He asked that tap water be switched to well water sources starting three days before Pesach begins.


Over 20,000 Children to Visit Kfar Chabad Matzah Factory

By Yechiel Spira www.theyeshivaworld.com March 30, 2009

Tzeirei Chabad’s annual matzah fair at Kfar Chabad is underway and over 20,000 children are expected to visit before yomtov, most coming from the nation’s public schools, religious and secular.


Ah, so that's why we suffer

By Raphael Ahren www.haaretz.com March 27, 2009


Review of "Schechter Haggadah: Art, History and Commentary," which the Conservative movement's Schechter Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem published earlier this year.

Dr. Joshua Kulp is a Talmud instructor at the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

While Kulp - who belongs to an Orthodox egalitarian congregation in Modi'in - is firmly rooted in the Conservative movement, he insists the "Schechter Haggadah," which follows last year's "Lovell Haggadah," is not an ideological work and contains nothing opposed to Orthodox ideology. 

Indeed, the book received a positive review on the Orthodox site "Traditions Seforim Blog." Rabbi Elli Fisher called the Haggadah "remarkable" and wrote on the site that the "commentary is at its best when engaging in source criticism of the Haggadah and its antecedents."


Clip of U.S. rabbi on Temple Mount reignites debate

By Raphael Ahren www.haaretz.com March 27, 2009


A YouTube video released one week ago depicting a prominent American rabbi visiting the Temple Mount in Jerusalem has sparked a new round of controversy about whether it is permitted for Jews to enter Judaism's holiest site, which is believed to have been the location of the Holy Temple. 

The film shows Rabbi Moshe Dovid Tendler, a senior figure at New York's Yeshiva University, leading a group of English speakers to the Temple Mount, explaining the religious and political context of his custom to visit the site every time he comes to Israel.

Tendler, who is the son-in-law of the late Rabbi Moshe Feinstein - one of the most respected halachic authorities of the last century - has ascended the Temple Mount for years, in order to perform the commandment of "Mora Mikdash," showing reverence to God at the place of the Temple. 


Everything But The Girl: Inside Haredi Cinema

By Christian Niedan http://thedocent.tjctv.com March 30, 2009

Say, when did you first learn about sex? How about profanity? What about the very existence of women on this planet? What tipped you off to them?

Well, if you grew up watching feature films produced for the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, then you wouldn’t find any of those subjects addressed on-screen — because none of them make the final cut.


Rabbi Calls to Pass Laws to Help Women Work Part-Time

www.vosizneias.com March 30, 2009

A leading national-religious rabbi, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, has called upon the new Knesset Members to initiate legislation that will help women to find part-time employment.

Laws like this, he wrote, will make it easier for mothers to work outside the home and supplement the family’s earnings while maintaining their traditional home-related roles.


Religious population of Petah Tivka opposed to openly gay performer

By Einav Yosef-Zada www.ynetnews.com March 26, 2009


Members of the religious sector in Petah Tivka are trying to quash a municipality decision to hire avowed homosexual singer Ivri Lider to perform on the city's central stage during Independence Day performances, as part of a team with the singer Rita.

Sources in the municipality who represent the religious sector, most of them members of Mayor Yitzhak (Itzik) Ohayon's coalition, said that they oppose such a performance. They also claimed to have had no idea that Lider was slated as an option for the main event of the festivities.


Jerusalem art comes out

By Barry Davis www.jpost.com March 27, 2009

Last Tuesday the "Out of the Sacred Closet - Beauty, Belief and Identity" exhibition opened at the Hadassah Art Gallery. The exhibition comprises 14 works by homosexual and lesbian artists, all of whom come from a religious background.

"My father is a rabbi and I have three brothers who are rabbis, and they have all been very supportive of me," says Rose, who has two paintings in the exhibition. 


Western Wall Cleansed Before Passover of Prayer Notes

www.vosizneias.com March 30, 2009

The ancient crevices of the Western Wall, filled with prayer notes tearfully tucked inside by tens of thousands of worshippers during the course of the year, underwent their twice-yearly cleaning-out on Sunday, under the watchful eye of the Rabbi of the Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich.

The notes are removed without the use of metal bars or utensils – which stand for warfare and the taking of life (see Exodus 20,22) - but rather with wooden rods. Following their removal, the notes are taken to the nearby ancient Mt. of Olives cemetery for burial.


Kosher-style yoga

By Raphael Ahren www.haaretz.com March 27, 2009

Aware that many observant Jews prefer to stay away from a Hindu-based practice that might smell like idol worship, California native Aviva Schmidt last week opened what she says is Israel's "first kosher power yoga studio." 

Both secular and religious yoga aficionados attend her classes - which are, of course, gender-separated - but "the Orthodox Jews wouldn't come if the classes included Eastern spirituality," she said.

"We spoke to three different rabbis and they all gave us their blessing.


Religious council recovery plan approved

By Miriam Bulwar David-Hay www.jpost.com March 29, 2009

The Herzliya city council has approved a recovery plan for the city's troubled religious council that will give it NIS 2.4 million this year to cover its accumulated deficit, in addition to an annual budget of almost NIS 6 million, reports www.local.co.il.

In return, the religious council has promised to abide by the conditions of the recovery plan, which include not hiring new employees and not making extra salary payments without the approval of the Ministry for Religious Services.


Visitors to Yemen Report That Jews Are Reluctant To Be Rescued

By Anthony Weiss http://forward.com March 25, 2009

In recent weeks, Jewish organizations have insisted that Yemen’s tiny Jewish population is in grave danger and that a secret evacuation is necessary to bring the people to safety.

But a new report written by on-the-ground observers suggests that one of the primary barriers to the Jews’ departure is the resistance of the Jews themselves.


The Politics of Rescue

Forward.com Editorial www.forward.com March 25, 2009

Rescue is a Jewish imperative. But this imperative should be pursued for the right reasons and in the right way. This operation may well fall short in important respects.


Pity the poor new Diaspora Affairs minister

By Haviv Rettig Gur www.jpost.com March 27, 2009

The Diaspora Affairs Ministry is left with a minor role coordinating the activities of government bureaucrats and politicians who don't want or need coordination. And lacking a forum or political post charged with handling questions of Diaspora policy, Israel finds itself without any consistent, comprehensive policy.


Visit Israel too often? You may be forced to make aliya

By Ruth Eglash www.jpost.com March 24, 2009

Jewish tourists, who spend more than 180 days in Israel, even without violating the terms of their tourist visas, are being increasingly harassed by border patrol officials, detained at the crossings and, in some cases, deported to their port of origin or forced to make aliya against their will, according to a Tel Aviv law firm.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Sabene Hadad:

"Someone who visits Israel excessively will be asked [by the Border Police] to explain what their business is in Israel," she said.

"If they own an apartment and spend long periods of time here, then they might need to change their status," she said. 

"If they are a student, then they need a student visa, and if they are working here, they need to have a work visa."


Make Birthright create an appetite for Jewish life

By Rabbi Daniel Landes www.jpost.com Opinion March 30, 2009

The writer is the director of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. He blogs at www.shtenderthoughts.pardes.org

But as important as Birthright Israel NEXT is, the real need is to create an appetite for Jewish life while they are here doing Birthright.

Creating the appetite is a challenge, but it ain't rocket science - the best of Jewish camps, Hillels, Chabad and Israeli-based institutions have been doing it for a long time.

It's a combination of bringing them into events of deep meaning and direct participation (rather than as tourists watching others' experiences), and the passionate, charismatic and, above all, authentic people they encounter.


Arrivals: Shlomo Gangte: From Manipur, India, to Beit El

By David Stromberg www.jpost.com March 30, 2009

Shlomo Gangte was born into a northeastern Indian people called Kuki-Chin-Mizo (depending on the region), some members of which claim to be one of the lost tribes of Israel, named collectively Bnei Menashe by Rabbi Eliahu Avichail.

The family spent three days in Kiryat Arba, two months in Gush Katif and eight months in Shavei Shomron, mostly as tourists studying in ulpan.

"In the next year, I started studying at the Midrash Sephardi Yeshiva in [Jerusalem's] Old City."

After five years of study, Shlomo is now a shohet, mohel, kashrut supervisor and rabbi, ordained by the Chief Rabbinate on October 22.


Kazakh minister invites chief rabbis to inter-religious conference with Iran

By Etgar Lefkovits www.jpost.com March 27, 2009

A senior Kazakh minister has invited Israel's chief rabbis to participate in an inter-religious conference in Kazakhstan this summer with Christian and Muslim leaders from around the world, including from Iran.

The invitation to participate in the third conference of "World Leaders of Traditional Religions," which will take place in July, was presented to Israel's two chief rabbis by the Chairman of Kazakhstan's parliamentary Committee on International Relations Defense and Security, Kuanysh Sultanov, during a four-day visit to Israel.


Divorced Muslim woman finally gets her day in court

By Miriam Bulwar David-Hay www.jpost.com March 29, 2009

The Haifa Court for Family Matters has ordered an elderly Muslim man to pay his ex-wife NIS 250,000 in compensation after he divorced her after 44 years of marriage, reports www.local.co.il

The couple, who are now both in their 70s, were divorced seven years ago through the local Muslim religious tribunal, which does not require a woman's agreement to a divorce and does not oblige men to pay any compensation.


Religion and State in Israel

March 30, 2009 (Section 2) (continued from Section 1)

Click here to read ONLINE

Editor – Joel Katz

Religion and State in Israel is not affiliated with any organization or movement.