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Is the Orthodox Halacha in the USA different than it is in Israel?

Is the Orthodox Halacha in the USA different than it is in Israel?

The Halacha is the Halacha is the Halacha!


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78% support marriage or registration for same-sex couples

78% support marriage or registration for same-sex couples

More than half of the Zionist Orthodox public (54%) supports the establishment of recognized same-sex partnerships. 73% of the general public believes that if marriage or registration for same-sex couples were to be recognized in Israel, these couples must have all or most of the rights of all other couples.

Shoresh Institution policy brief: post-election analysis

Shoresh Institution policy brief: post-election analysis

Last week, Prof. Ben David published a policy brief titled 'Two Wars and Demography: A Long Run View of Israel’s Recent Elections'. Its importance cannot be over-exaggerated. We can only express the hope that leaders and policymakers will take the time to study it carefully.

Perpetual surrender to anti-Zionistic, anti-democratic religious ideology

Perpetual surrender to anti-Zionistic, anti-democratic religious ideology

It is clear that a key building block in the demands of both the Haredi parties and the Union of right-wing parties is the ensuring that the non-Orthodox movements be excluded and delegitimized

Most Israelis prefer a unity gov't with Likud and Blue & White

Most Israelis prefer a unity gov't with Likud and Blue & White

66% of the public prefers a Likud-Blue-&-White coalition to promote freedom of religion and equality, rather than a narrow government dependent on the ultra-Orthodox.

Religious Freedom and Equality after the Elections

Religious Freedom and Equality after the Elections

The 2019 Knesset elections are over, but not much has been written about their potential impact on matters of religion & state and Israel-Diaspora relations. Hiddush polling shows that approximately 2/3 of Israeli Jews would prefer a civil government that does not depend upon the ultra-Orthodox parties.

An increase in Haredi MKs – not in public support.

An increase in Haredi MKs – not in public support.

Hiddush provides context and more accurate understanding of what may appear to onlookers from the Diaspora as growing support for the ultra-Orthodox political parties due to the increase from 13 to 16.

65% Israelis want a civil government

65% Israelis want a civil government

65% of the adult Jewish public wants a civil government, which is not dependent on the ultra-Orthodox parties, and which could promote freedom of religion and equality of the civic burden.

Agunah Day: For women in Israel, marriage is captivity

Agunah Day: For women in Israel, marriage is captivity

Dr. Susan Weiss, Esq., Executive Director of the Center for Women's Justice, writes a powerful article for 2019 International Agunah Day. In the spirit of the Book of Esther she challenges the common sense regarding agunot – Jewish women held, like Esther, in marital captivity.

63% want a civil Coalition without Haredi parties

63% want a civil Coalition without Haredi parties

After the drama and the clarification of the political map, the public expects to hear more than rhetoric from the right and the left. The Jewish public wants the parties to promote freedom of religion and equality of the burden - not just crumbs such as providing public transportation on the Sabbath.

"Israel is losing the Jewish people"

Former Israeli MFA Deputy Director General for North America, Baruch Bina, published an article in Hebrew titled ‘Israel is losing the Jewish people’. Hiddush shares some of its key assertions and observations in English here.

52% more likely to vote for a party that commits to religious freedom

52% more likely to vote for a party that commits to religious freedom

64% of undecided voters said that they are more likely to vote for a party that will commit itself to promoting freedom of religion and equality of civic burden. So too, 52% of the adult Jewish public.

2018 Israel Peace Index Supports Hiddush's consistent findings

2018 Israel Peace Index Supports Hiddush's consistent findings

Often, the online comments on Hiddush's survey findings validate the well-known phrase: Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up. These individuals rudely reject our data as specious, but the Israel Democracy Institute's 2018 Peace Index unsurprisingly supports Hiddush's findings and analysis.

What they do not see: Rabbinate and marriages in Israel

What they do not see: Rabbinate and marriages in Israel

The Religious Services Ministry refuses to acknowledge the fact that growing circles reject the Rabbinate and prefer alternative marriages.

Money laundering and white collar crimes in the Haredi community

Money laundering and white collar crimes in the Haredi community

Both in Israel and in the USA, money laundering is a common phenomenon in the ultra-Orthodox community.

Kosher slaughter now illegal in Belgium

Kosher slaughter now illegal in Belgium

With the turn of 2019, kosher slaughter in the northern Flanders region of Belgium, home to half of the country’s Jewish population and a major supplier of meat for European Jewish communities, became officially illegal.

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