The ultra-Orthodox “revolt” of the last lockdown, which continues until today, is most clearly expressed in the opening of their elementary schools for boys. This violation of the rules brings to light two phenomena: the first is the unmistakable priority granted to abiding by communal and religious values over complying with the laws of the state. Second, and just as…

The last two weeks and very likely—the weeks ahead are likely to be one of the most dramatic—and most seminal —periods in the history of the State of Israel. Israel’s rates of Covid-19 infection and mortality are among the highest in the world, and there is a clear and present danger of collapse of the health system’s capacity to provide…

Recent days have seen a strange development: Political positions, ideologies and worldviews, support for the Prime Minister or opposition to him—all of them have undergone conversion, and have been transformed into religious beliefs. The long-established ultra-Orthodox parties, who cling fiercely to their faith, are now being joined by those who are clinging no less fiercely to their secularism; those who…

The sharp contrast between the permission to hold mass protest demonstrations on the one hand and the restrictions imposed on prayer services on the other, is disturbing to many, and rightly so. Many sectors of the Israeli public, both the observant and the traditional, feel that their values are not being treated with the same degree of respect as are…

“In those days, there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Book of Judges). Based on current events in Israel, we seem to be reverting back to the period of the Biblical judges, with each tribe fighting against the other, in an atmosphere of complete chaos. This would be bad enough…

Among all the jurists of the last generation, the late Ruth Gavison stood out as an intellectual beacon. She was blessed with unusual acuity and intellectual brilliance, creativity and courageous thought, a broad education, curiosity, and meticulous attention to detail. Her professional writings, carved out by an analytical razor, and nourished by a sharp critical sense, were marked by sparks…

Picture this. It’s morning at the “Kalo Cafe” in Jerusalem. Mustafa the cook is standing by the induction cooker frying an omelet. Customers are sitting down and ordering. Suddenly, in walks a man in a white shirt and Kippa. Without saying a word, he walks over to the wall behind the counter, takes down the kashrut certificate, and leaves. Why?…

Today, Tisha Be’av, the ninth day of the month of Av, we commemorate the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, a key landmark in the sequence of events that led to the Jews’ exile from their land. From a national perspective, it was the result of poor geopolitical judgment, which spurred a hopeless revolt against the mighty empire that ruled…

The current debate about applying Israeli sovereignty to parts of the land beyond the Green Line could be of great importance to the future of Israel and its people. Published in the Jerusalem Post When asked if Israel’s Declaration of Independence should be postponed because of pressure exerted by the United States, Léon Blum, the Jewish former socialist French prime…