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New Western Wall Prayer Space Highlights Wider Divide Among Jews
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New Western Wall Prayer Space Highlights Wider Divide Among Jews

By Isabel Kershner, The New York Times JERUSALEM — It seemed a solution worthy of Solomon: create a permanent egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall alongside the gender-segregated area that has been the subject of vitriolic protest. The Israeli government’s compromise decision this week was hailed as “historic” and “revolutionary,” yet it also underscored the divide between Israel and its Orthodox establishment and…
02/02/2016
יהדות

The Charedi Draft: Here We Go Again

Here we go again, like a broken record, and the sound is dissonant, disappointing, and disgraceful. Israel’s Security Service Law, which drafts our sons and daughters into the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), compelling them to risk their lives for their country, has been amended again by the Knesset because of changes in the make-up of the coalition government. Made in…
02/12/2015
Israel Today: Society, Identity, and Political Affinities
ישראל

Israel Today: Society, Identity, and Political Affinities

This paper presents and analyzes the social, identity, and political preferences of Israeli society while mainly focusing on Israel’s Jews. It portrays the development of these traits over Israel’s existence, with a special emphasis on the past 25 years. Although each of these characteristics stands on its own, this analysis connects each examined characteristic with what preceded it. This approach…
29/11/2015
ישראל

‘Jewish and Democratic’ Even in Tough Times

Unfortunately, over the past several weeks, in the face of a wave of murderous terror, we have seen cruel and ruthless responses on the street and through social media. The Arab/Muslim side has callously called for further attacks. The Israeli/Jewish side has witnessed a societal outburst of racism and calls for “killing every terrorist” after each attack. Rabbis have partnered…
29/10/2015

The Rabin Assassination and Religious Responsibility

Published on: Haaretz.com  When Yigal Amir murdered Yitzhak Rabin, he did not target Yitzhak Rabin the man; he targeted the prime minister of Israel. This political assassination sought to change government policy and prevent the implementation of the Oslo Accords. The assassin used a gun barrel to change the results of the ballot box, seeking to overthrow Israel’s decision-making bodies…
26/10/2015

Praying with ‘Sinners’

Published in: The Jerusalem Post   On the eve of Yom Kippur, when the Jewish people gather in synagogues to recite Kol Nidrei, they repeat three times in unison: “With the approval of the Omnipresent and with the approval of the congregation; in the convocation of the Court above and in the convocation of the Court below, we sanction prayer…
24/09/2015

Should Jews Pray on the Temple Mount Today?

What could be more natural and appropriate than full and complete realization of Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount—the tiny strip of land, just a few hundred square meters large, which has been at the center of the collective Jewish consciousness for generations? How can we, the fortunate generation that redeemed the Land of Israel and gathered in the exiles,…
10/08/2015
Jewish Values and Israel’s Use of Force in Armed Conflict: Perspectives from World Jewry
TPS

Jewish Values and Israel’s Use of Force in Armed Conflict: Perspectives from World Jewry

 
23/07/2015
By: Shmuel Rosner, Brig. General (Ret.) Michael Herzog

Keeping Kosher: By Faith, Not By Force

Published in: Yedioth Ahronoth How closely should the Chief Rabbinate be scrutinizing the plates of Israel’s citizens? That is the question the Ministerial Committee for Legislation will have to answer when it considers the proposed amendment to the Kashrut Fraud Prevention Law, which would cover everything from soup to nuts. According to rough estimates, the kosher supervision industry in Israel…
16/07/2015
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