Religious Freedom
Promoting Pluralism and Tolerance
NIF works to secure freedom of and from religion, as part of a vision of a just and democratic Israel. We fight for religious tolerance, for gender equality, and against the ultra-Orthodox monopoly on religious life.
The lack of freedom of and from religion remains one of the core obstacles to strengthening Israel's liberal democracy.
One would think that, having finally achieved a Jewish homeland in Israel, Jews could practice their religion – or not – untroubled by government interference.
To some extent, that’s true. For years NIF supported programs to support Jews of all types in connecting or reconnecting to their Judaism. We helped immigrants from the former Soviet Union to establish vibrant spiritual communities. We backed liberal Orthodox women finding ways to increase their involvement in Jewish religious ritual within the framework of halacha. We helped establish new schools that joined the study of Jewish texts with social action inspired by Jewish values. We assisted Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist streams to establish a foothold in Israel.
But much remains to be done. The ultra-Orthodox establishment that controls Israel’s civil sphere continues to delegitimize other streams of Judaism. We believe that the time is ripe to mobilize Israelis to focus on advocacy for religious freedom. At the same time, we have identified and are supporting activists of moderate Orthodoxy as an important but overlooked movement with significant potential to play a key role as a moderating force in Israeli society.
Agunot Take Matters into Their Own Hands
Fifty courageous agunot – women denied a divorce by their husbands – and allies protested near the Rabbinical Court in Jerusalem last week.
New Method for Choosing City Rabbis
A new election process will ensure a more moderate and more representative city rabbinate.
Major Conference on Gynecology Excludes Women
NIF is at the forefront of a campaign against a conference on innovations in gynecology, which will exclude women speakers. The Puah Institute, which helps couples with fertility, medicine, and Jewish law, held its 13th national conference in Jerusalem this week, with the theme “Innovations in Gynecology and Halachah: Judgments, Dilemmas and Challenges.” In previous years, female experts were barred from speaking at the annual conference, leading many doctors to cancel their participation in protest. This year, the Puah Institute refused to reveal the list of speakers, presumably in an attempt to stave off criticism regarding its exclusion of women.