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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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Court orders the State of Israel to register Utah online marriages

Court orders the State of Israel to register Utah online marriages

Hiddush - For Religious Freedom and Equality, responds to ruling by Administrative Court ordering the State of Israel to register Utah online marriages

Just when you thought they can't sink lower...

Just when you thought they can't sink lower...

The son of MK Pindrus, secretary general of the Degel HaTorah party, who is one of those leading attacks in the vilest language on the Bennett / Lapid government, on Reform and Conservative Judaism and on the Supreme Court, led a shocking display of behavior today at the "Ezrat Yisrael" plaza next to the Western Wall, intended for egalitarian prayers of the liberal Jewish denominations.

On the Legal Front

On the Legal Front

the battle goes on. It is not just the Women of the Wall or the Pride Parade that are at stake. It’s the soul of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and that is why safeguarding the independence and the authority of the Supreme Court is so important in Israel, even if we do not always agree with its rulings.

When Will Israeli Haredi Men Participate in the Workforce?

When Will Israeli Haredi Men Participate in the Workforce?

This week, the Committee for Special National Infrastructure Initiatives and Jewish Religious Services, chaired by MK Yulia Malinowsky (Yisrael Beitenu) met to discuss the integration of the ultra-Orthodox population in the Israeli workplace.

Hiddush in the US International Religious Freedom Report

Hiddush in the US International Religious Freedom Report

Hiddush appears prominently in the International Religious Freedom Report for Israel, West Bank, and Gaza which was released on June 3rd by the United States Department of State.

Hiddush supports Initiative to cut support for school networks

Hiddush supports Initiative to cut support for school networks

You cannot have your cake and eat it, too: to claim on the one hand that the ultra-Orthodox educational networks are fulfilling their commitment to teach 100% of the core studies, and on the other hand to refuse participation in external objective examinations.

On the Legal Front

On the Legal Front

Recently we received a reminder of how important it is to not merely be able to petition the court in order to correct wrongs, but also to monitor implementation of court rulings and of the actual change in policy. That takes time, perseverance, and patience - a requisite for legal advocacy which by its nature is ongoing and can stretch out over a long period of time.

The Weekly Scandal: “Blow up the Supreme Court”

The Weekly Scandal: “Blow up the Supreme Court”

There is hardly a week that goes by without a scandal or a struggle over religion and state. The weekly scandal, which accompanied last week's Independence Day celebration, is the video clip in which MK Yitzhak Pindrus, chair of the UTJ (United Torah Judaism, the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox faction in the Knesset) is seen expressing his desire to blow up the Supreme Court: “You know what my dream is? To bring a D9 [bulldozer] and blow up the building.”

What has not changed in the last year from previous years?

What has not changed in the last year from previous years?

How much has changed (or not changed) since last year in the arena of religion & state in Israel?

Is American Orthodoxy not Orthodox?

Is American Orthodoxy not Orthodox?

We hold that both non-Jewish and non-observant Jewish soldiers have rights that must be respected and that this does not detract from the kashrut status of food provided by the IDF to all soldiers.

Agunot – A Sharp Indictment of Israel’s Rabbinic Courts

Agunot – A Sharp Indictment of Israel’s Rabbinic Courts

“This should have been the mission of the halakhic decisors: to make sure no woman finds herself for even one day or one night without a divorce!”

The conscription bluff

The conscription bluff

I did not come up with the title to this article. This was the title given by a well-known ultra-Orthodox commentator to an article he published this month in the ultra-Orthodox newspaper Yated Ne'eman.

54% Israelis: IDF soldiers have right to eat chametz

54% Israelis: IDF soldiers have right to eat chametz

In light of the public and political battle that accompanies the petition Hiddush submitted (on behalf of itself, the Secular Forum, and a group of parents of IDF soldiers) to reduce the sweeping ban against leavened foods during Passover on IDF bases, Hiddush decided to survey the positions of Israel’s adult Jewish public on this matter.

What will the monthly clash over the Kotel be like tomorrow?

What will the monthly clash over the Kotel be like tomorrow?

The executives of the American Reform and Conservative movements, Rabbis Rick Jacobs and Jacob Blumenthal, arrived in Israel for the JAFI board meetings; and they have scheduled multiple meetings with Israeli political leaders from Prime Minister Bennett down.

Why do they do it? Because they can!

Why do they do it? Because they can!

This week, the Supreme Court issued a ‘show cause’ order against the IDF in a petition Hiddush submitted regarding non-observant and non-Jewish soldiers being allowed to possess chametz in their own private domain (or in pre-designated spaces) and consume it during Passover.

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