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.
Immersion and Empowerment
A new training program for mikva (ritual bath) attendants in Israel is an important step forward for women’s rights. The new training program, which will be run by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, was agreed upon following a campaign by Advot (Ripples), a group of women’s rights activists.
Profile: Roni Hazon Weiss
Roni Hazon Weiss has had a fascinating journey to become one Jerusalem’s leading religious feminist activists. Born and raised in a modern Orthodox family in Maaleh Adumim, and active in Bnei Akiva, her first turning point came when she studied at Midreshet Lindenbaum, one of the pioneers of Talmud study for women.
Zooming in on Religion and State
An old, torn photo of young women praying at the Kotel was tacked to an ordinary wall in a Haredi section of Jerusalem’s Nachlaot neighborhood.The photo captivated Ariel Cohen, a young, religious solider, during a state and religious issues tour of Jerusalem organized by alum of a SHATIL-Bet Hillel-Be Free Israel course.Juxtaposed against the ongoing controversy surrounding women’s images in public spaces, including the defacement of ads and posters showing women, Ariel was inspired and took a photo.
Rejecting Religious Racism: The “Race” for Chief Rabbi
As the selection of Israel’s next chief rabbis approaches, New Israel Fund grantees, including those representing key Orthodox constituents, are drawing attention to the racist and exclusionary views of some of the candidates.