Tzohar Launches Campaign to Improve Israeli Rabbinate, Rabbinic Services

Posted on: August 26th, 2012

Among the items that Tzohar is calling for will be to elect new rabbinical court judges who would be more open to the needs of the general public, not just the religiously observant sectors; and new guidelines for managing the marriage, divorce and conversion processes in Israel – three areas that have been particularly alienating to secular Israelis.

Rav Ovadia Yosef Holds in his Hands the Fate of Israel’s Attack on Iran

Posted on: August 21st, 2012

The final say on whether or not Israel will go it alone against Iran's nuclear facilities depends on the two architects of that plan, and on the IAF which will carry it out. It will also depend on the Obama Administration and on whether or not the Saudis and the Gulf states will give their tacit approval. But that same decision will also depend on the approval of a 92-year-old Sefardi Rabbi from Jerusalem, whose thumbs-up or down could kill the plan or give it life.

Victim of Scientology Recites his Plight as Church’s New Tel-Aviv Center Is Inaugurated

Posted on: August 21st, 2012

The new, renovated Scientology Center opened in Tel Aviv. IDF Radio interviewed a man who said his family fell apart when his wife joined the Church of Scientology.

New Campaign: Tight Pants Are Sinful and Corrupting

Posted on: August 20th, 2012

We have grown accustomed to these letters being directed at Haredi women. Now, surprisingly, this letter is addressed specifically to the men.

Haredi Rabbis Decided: Yeshiva Students May Go to Recruitment Centers, But ‘Must Not Sign Anything’

Posted on: August 14th, 2012

Against the background of the expiration on August 1 of the Tal Law, which attempted to manage Haredi recruitment, the Moetzes Gdolei HaTorah (Assembly of Torah Sages), the supreme rabbinical policy-making council of several Haredi organizations in Israel convened Monday night in Bnei Brak at the home of leader of the Lithuanian sector, Rav Steinman, to solidify the policy of military conscription.

After 8 Years, Body Was Relocated for Spiritual Reasons with R. Elyashiv’s Blessings

Posted on: August 7th, 2012

Senior Jerusalem rabbis permitted a late-night removal of the body of a Haredi rabbi from its grave, on the night between Thursday and Friday last week, because family members, who are Breslov Hasidim, claimed the "spiritual level" of the nearby dead was insufficient, causing what could be considered the desecration of the dead.

Yad Yair Refugees Recite Lamentations at the Ruins of their Homes

Posted on: July 29th, 2012

On Saturday night, Tisha B'Av 5772, some 50 men, women and children, members of the settlement nucleus of Yad Yair, together with the Benjamin Settlers Committee and residents of Gush Talmonim, mourned the destruction of Jerusalem, and shared their private grief over the destruction of their settlement more than three years ago by the Civil Administration of Judea and Samaria.

New Israeli Haredi Consumer Is Savvy, Wielding Purchasing Power of $2.6 Billion

Posted on: July 20th, 2012

Haredi consumers are not, by and large, part of Israel's social protest movement, but their shopping savvy, it turns out, is evolving constantly.

Ashlag Rebbe: Secular Youths Should Be Conscripted into Torah Study

Posted on: July 10th, 2012

During his weekly talk, the Ashlag Rebbe, Rabbi Simcha Avraham Halevy, challenged politicians who promote the notion of an equal burden, describing them as imbeciles. He proposed a solution to the inequality: "Let every secular boy be forced to bear the burden of defending the homeland of Israel and fulfill his national duty to study Torah and keep the mitzvot." He also said, "The nation of Israel did not survive our brutal history by the deterrence of the IDF, nor by the might of the State of Israel, but by the merit of the study of Torah."

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Haredim Offer to Purchase Jerusalem Soccer Team, Impose Weekday Only Schedule

Posted on: July 9th, 2012

Chairman of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer club Itzik Kornfein said in an interview to Israel TV's sports channel that a number of Haredi businessmen have expressed their desire to invest money in his team, on one condition: that Beitar would not play on Shabbat.

Rabbi Ariel Under Criminal Probe, ‘Banned Indefinitely’ from Temple Mount

Posted on: June 27th, 2012

The 78 year old who took part in the liberation of Temple Mount in 1967 is banned from entering the holiest Jewish site by Israeli Police, who say he will face charges.

Likud MKs, Central Committee, Ulpana Hill Residents, in Pushback Against Court, AG, Barak

Posted on: April 23rd, 2012

Israel's Supreme Court and the Attorney General are showing a kind of zeal one normally attributes to religious fanatics. Rather than pursuing a pragmatic, financial compensation to the claimant, as is normal in similar civil cases, both the high court and the AG appear hell bent on getting Justice. The Likud rank and file are preparing to do war with these two enemies of Israel's democracy.

Conservatives to Ordain Gay and Lesbian Rabbis in Israel

Posted on: April 19th, 2012

The Board of Trustees of the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary voted to accept gay and lesbian students for ordination. “The Schechter Rabbinical Seminary views the serious process leading to this decision as an example of confronting social dilemmas within the framework of tradition and halachah,” Board of Trustees Chair Hanan Alexander said in a statement.

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A Decade after Demise of his Alternative Station, MK Katz Alters Broadcasting Authority Law

Posted on: March 5th, 2012

The Knesset Economic Committee held a heated discussion Monday over the composition of incoming Broadcasting Authority Supervisory Council. MK Jacob Katz argued that the previous text perpetuated a distortion which was causing large communities to feel alienated and segregated from public broadcasting. Ten years ago, Katz's own "Pirate" alternative radio station was taken down in the spirit of that same old law.

Haredim Close Ranks to Fight IDF Conscription

Posted on: February 28th, 2012

Many of the participants in an emergency conference last night were adamant on the need to “give up our lives” over the preservation of Torah study, in face of a growing public push for Haredi military service. In the Israeli marketplace of ideas, two views competed this morning: "Don't push them too fast, or you'll get nothing but conflict" – versus "It's time for everybody to carry their fair share of the load." Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman was on the money when he accused retired Supreme Court President Beinisch of committing a hit-and-run…

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Livni Stakes Political Future on Yeshiva Students’ IDF Service

Posted on: February 26th, 2012

The first Israeli pol to be taking a ride on the back of the Supreme Court's decision to kill the Tal Law is stating her motivation bluntly: "I'm sick and tired of hearing that it's impossible to implement the law, because the Haredim or the Arabs don't want to join." Being sick and tired can be a recipe for political success in Israel – provided you don't face a field of multiple opponents who are all equally disgruntled.

Chief Military Rabbi: Religious Soldiers Do Not Have to Hear Female Singers at IDF Events

Posted on: February 23rd, 2012

On the heels of the Supreme Court's annulment of the Tal Law, and following weeks of harsh debates over the coerced participation of religious soldiers in IDF sponsored concerts with women singers, the IDF Chief Rabbi admitted Thursday that despite his liberal ruling on the matter, soldiers should be allowed to avoid entertainment they find religiously problematic.

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Report: Armored Brigade Commander Prevented Military Rabbi from Speaking at Official Ceremony

Posted on: February 22nd, 2012

The website kipa.co.il reports that Col. Lior Hochman, Commander of the 460 Armored Corps Brigade, prohibited the brigade rabbi from speaking at a military ceremony held Wednesday, in the presence of soldiers, officers, and their families. Brigade Chaplain Captain Rabbi Zev Runes had participated in rehearsals for the ceremony and was expected to speak about [...]

Knesset Debates Haredi Service After Tal Law Annulled

Posted on: February 22nd, 2012

The Knesset has quickly assumed a proactive role in filling the void left by the the Israeli High Court's decision to annul the Tal Law. Two bills pertaining to mandatory service were already debated and voted upon today, Opposition chairwoman Tzipi Livni continued to blast the low enlistment rate of the Haredi population, and FM Avigdor Lieberman pledged to propose more legislation on the matter in the future.

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Journalist: Secular Fear of Haredim Drove Court’s Rule on Service Deferments

Posted on: February 22nd, 2012

Journalist and radio host Israel Gelis offers the Haredi point of view on the Supreme Court's decision to kill the Tal Law, which served as a moderate avenue for Haredim to join modern Israeli society, while holding on to their unique values.