Hiddush

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Frequently Asked Questions

If you have additional questions about Hiddush or its positions and can't find the answers here, send them to us and we will be happy to respond. If the question and answer seem to be of public interest, we will add them to the FAQ list.

What is the relationship of Hiddush to Judaism?

Hiddush has an extremely positive relationship to Judaism. We deeply believe that that nothing will do more good for Judaism than freedom of religion and the liberation of Judaism from the chains of politics and religious coercion. We do not see in the Haredim the exclusive representatives of Judaism, but only one version of it. There are many kinds of Judaism, including Reform, Conservative and Secular. They are no less legitimate, and we won't let anyone take away our right to be Jews in our own way.

Does Hiddush have a political identity?

Hiddush does not identify with any political stream (or any religious stream). We believe that all the streams of Zionism, right, center and left, religious, traditional and secular, should join forces to make possible the revolution which is necessary in the areas of freedom of religion and burden sharing. Therefore every Zionist is an essential participant in the struggle. People from all over the political spectrum contribute to Hiddush and it is happy to cooperate with anyone who strives for freedom of religion and equal burden sharing.

Aren't there already too many organizations working for freedom of religion and equal burden sharing?

Until the establishment of Hiddush, there was no organization working in all areas of religious freedom and equal burden sharing. There are some other organizations which do a lot of important work. Some of them represent a particular segment of society, like the center for Jewish pluralism of the Movement for Progressive Judaism. Some work only in certain areas, like the Forum for Equal Burden Sharing, which fights for equality in military service. Hiddush believes that the root of all the problems in the area of religion and state is the unholy alliance between religion and politics. Therefore, we must address all these problems jointly and solve the root of the problem. Hiddush has been involved in a long series of coalitions of organizations collaborating to this end.

Does Hiddush identify with a religious stream?

Not at all. Rabbi and attorney Uri Regev, and businessman Stanley Gold established Hiddush with the goal of creating an organization which would speak on behalf of the large majority of the Israeli public, secular, traditional, religious and also Reform and Conservative Jews. There is no organizational or financial link between Hiddush and the Reform movement. Hiddush is happy to cooperate with the Reform movement in its struggles, just as it cooperates with many other organizations in the pursuit of freedom of religion and equal burden sharing. Among these organizations are Ne'emanei Torah ve Avodah, Orthodox Jerusalemites, the Masorti (Conservative) movement and the Hofesh Hiloni (Secular Freedom) organization. Among the supporters of Hiddush are many prominent Orthodox religious people.

Does Hiddush foment hatred of Haredim?

Hiddush endeavors to bring freedom of religion and equal burden sharing to Israel. It does this by paying meticulous attention to its words, remarks, and credibility. There is no hatred in any of its activities. It should be mentioned that we do not avoid hatred as tactical move, but because we simply do not hate the Haredim or any other community. We work toward the Haredim taking part in their obligations to society, such as work, the army, taxes and basic education. We believe that this demand is completely essential and legitimate.

It is certainly true that the activities of Hiddush and the information it publishes are considered one of the reasons that matters of religion and state have returned to the public agenda. Hiddush is proud of this. All the experts agree that if the Haredim do not integrate into the economy and into military service, both the economy and national security are endangered. Public struggle is often accompanied by strong emotions. We oppose hatred on the grounds that sooner or later we will all have to live together.

Of course, our website and Facebook page are open to everybody. If we have published anything that contradicts our principles, we invite internet users to call our attention to it.