Religion in Israel

By Mark Berch | July 19, 2007

A look at the extensive splits within the religious establishment in Israel, and their increasing inability to deal with challenges from both the secular world and from the Reform/Conservative movements, and the decreasing influence that the Rabbinical establishment has, even though they retain considerable institutional power. (The Jerusalem Post)
A new book looks at the diversity of Haredi society by analyzing its internal dialog, especially in terms of the impact of recorded sermons and the overall attitude toward the media, attitudes toward and impact of newly observant Jews, â€œchanges in the Haredi attitude to the Holocaustâ€¦ the mass entry of Haredi women into the workforce â€¦ the penetration of modern Israeli culture into ultra-Orthodoxy.â€? (Haaretz)
When a new pork-selling supermarket opened in the Netanya city center, haredim chained themselves to the supermarket’s doors. The Netanya City Council then approved a bylaw prohibiting the sale of pork in the city. Said an opponent: “The supporters of the law want to force norms befitting Iran.” (Ynet)
Rabbi David Ellenson, the president of Hebrew Union College (HUC), the Reform Movement’s rabbinic seminary, comes to Israel to talk about religious pluralism in the past,and of the dangers of ignorance, even among secular Israelis. (Haaretz)