Hiddush, for religious freedom and equality in Israel

Hiddush Religious Freedom report highlights significant deterioration of religious freedom in Israel during last year. The report sites escalation in religion-state conflict, violence in the name of religion, damage to religious freedom, attempts at religious coercion, budget allocations to religious institutions and pro-religious legislation – and warns of worse to come.

Rabbi Uri Regev , CEO of Hiddush: The coalition parties do not hesitate to cynically trade away the civil liberties of the Israeli public in exchange for votes from ultra-Orthodox parties. Our research shows a huge gap between government policy and public opinion. The overwhelming majority of the public seek greater religious freedom and more equitable distribution of the economic and military burden

Download full report
Read coverage in Jerusalem Post

Minister OK's women at the back of the bus
Instead of standing up to injustice and protecting the basic democratic principles of equality, MK Yisrael Katz chose to legitimize and perpetuate discrimination against women and religious coercion by allowing the practice of gender-separated seating to continue on public buses in Israel. Katz claims the seating arrangment is voluntary, failing to address reports of harassment and assualt of women who refuse to move to the back of the bus.
Egged employee enforces gender-segregation on Mehadrin bus line

Egged employee enforces gender-segregation on Mehadrin bus line

An employee of the Egged bus company making sure that men board the bus from the front and women from the rear" (Rahel Sharon/CreativeCommons)

Hiddush CEO Regev: The minister is trying to push a round peg through a square hole. What he’s saying is that the state won’t pass a law making the arrangement legal, but also wouldn’t do anything to stop it.

Public opinion surveys conducted by both Smith Research and The Jerusalem post show strong opposition to gender-segregated 'Mehadrin' bus lines.

Read Ron Friedman's report in the Jerusalem Post

Hiddush warns: Shas entry to WZO a 'Trojan horse' inside the Zionist movement
Hiddush CEO Regev says that "if the opportunity to join the World Zionist Organization would change the direction of Shas [The ultra-Orthodox Sephardic party] and its known views - such progress should be welcomed. But in the absence of a true and meaningful ideological shift - every effort must be made to thwart the absurd act of allowing such a Trojan horse into the World Zionist Organization. There is great danger that this will become the final nail in the coffin of the Zionist movement." Regev, a member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency, makes it clear that "joining the Zionist movement is not merely a political game, but is contingent on accepting the fundamental principles of Zionism, which Shas is far from doing . 'The ‘Jerusalem Program’, which defines the foundations of Zionism," says Regev, "defines the state of Israel as a Zionist and democratic state, and Zionism as being based on ‘respect for the diversity of the Jewish people.’ But Shas is neither Zionist nor democratic and is hostile to Jewish pluralism.

As Israel become increasingly Haredi, artist states "we cannot waste democracy" Illustration: Shaul Hanuka, Flickr

Regev points to the fact that "Shas spokesmen have already declared their intention to join the Zionist movement in order to push out the pioneering youth movements, secular emissaries and the largest religious denominations of Judaism; Reform and Conservative. If Shas is sincere in its intent to accept Zionism, democracy and equality among all streams of Judaism," explains Regev, "they must declare so publicly and officially, in a clear and explicit manner. Such an announcement should be agreed upon in negotiations with WZO leaders, including representatives of the Reform and Conservative movements. If Shas is incapable of fulfilling such a basic threshold of Zionist partnership and dialogue, it mustn’t be allowed to destroy the Zionist movement from within."

Desire for religious freedom changing Israeli politics
The Jerusalem Post's chief political correspondent and analyst, Gil Hoffman reported Friday on the mounting pressure on Yair Lapid, to follow in his father's footsteps and transition from journalism to politics. The young Lapid enjoys even greater popularity than his late father did when he headed up the Shinui (change) party a decade ago. At its height, that party held 15 seats in the Israeli Knesset.

"It is clear to us that there is tremendous desire for a party that supports religious freedom and equality," said Hiddush CEO Uri Regev . "The angst among the public is palpable. There's no doubt that Yair Lapid, by virtue of his writing, his public credibility and his responsible and balanced positions, holds great promise for many people. He is not anti-religious. He cares about Jewish affairs in an open-minded and pluralistic way."

read full JPost article

Duty calls, Haredis start to answer
Shahar Ilan     responds with reserved optimism to increased Haredi participation in army and national service last year. While there is still a long way to go, 2009 proved that it is possible to combine serving one's country and maintaining Hared lifestyle. The army has developed creative service solutions and the idea of service is seems to becoming more acceptable in Haredi society.

Hiddush's Shahar Ilan     published analysis in Haaretz

A dark day for Israeli democracy
"Anat Hoffman's police interrogation is a black day for Israeli democracy," says Rabbi Uri Regev    , Esq., CEO of "Hiddush - For Religious Freedom and Equality". He reacted to the news of Hoffman's police interrogation, during which she was required to give her fingerprints as a suspect of a criminal offense, for leading the Women of the Wall efforts to hold women's prayer services at the Kotel. He said, "Such infringements of religious freedom and assault on the rights and equality of women occur only in the darkest of the radical Moslem states. Instead of investigating the Women of the Kotel, the police should find the thugs who repeatedly attack them."

The Forward on Hoffman's interrogation

Aliya can't stop Israeli decline
Senior Israeli Economist Prof. Dan Ben David spoke to an audience of lone soldiers last week, giving them an important wake-up call about the implications of current educational and economic trends in Israel. He told the crowd that Israeli society's situation is "unsustainable" because of a "growing group which does not work, does not study and does not produce." Poverty rates are rising sharply and scholastic achievement in Israel is now among the lowest in the West.

read full article

Hiddush report to Knesset: 2000 Haredis served in 2009
Shahar Ilan :The idea of 2,000 yeshiva students serving in the army was unthinkable a decade ago. The document also raises the possibility that this phenomenon reflects the end of the taboo against national or military service within the haredi population.

Uri Regev praised the development and said it proved that yeshiva students can certainly do military service like everyone else.

read full article

Civil union 'Indecent proposal'

Knesset considering butchered civil union bill that fails to offer a viable option to the Orthodox rabbinate – and would create an ‘untouchable’ caste of Jews allowed only to marry amongst themselves.
Hiddush calls on members of the Knesset Constitution, Law & Justice Committee to block the ‘Indecent proposal.’ Read Rabbi Regev’s full response

Knesset reads Hiddush report

The Israeli news website NRG reported the Religion/State Index has been presented to the Knesset. The Index reports 84% of the Israeli public opposes the current system of IDF draft deferments for young men who choose to study in yeshivas. 71% support reducing state funding for yeshivas.

Download Religion/State Index

MK Nitzan Horovitz (Meretz) “The majority want to break free from the Haredi burden”

MK Ophir Pines (Labour) declared that by ignoring the public’s opinion “MKs are abusing their office”

Hiddush CEO Rabbi Uri Regev reiterates his call for action “The Israeli public wants to get to the root of the problem”

Haredim holding Israel back?

Today, Israel's economic and overall security is under threat from the

and overall security is under threat from the increased hold that the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim, have on religion for Jews in Israel. Although, according to the 2006 census, only about 8% of Israelis consider themselves ultra-Orthodox, state funding flows to everything from segregated public transportation to religious education in order to accommodate a lifestyle that leads to a less educated, less competitive workforce. If this continues, it will challenge Israel as a global modern economy.

Read full article

“Who, God tell us, will pay for the yeshivas twenty years from now,” Gold asks. “In other countries where there is a Haredi community, like for instance in the Haredi community in New York, the majority of men work and only a minority, the prodigies, study in yeshivas.” “People are starting to understand that enough is enough.” Read full article
Read original Hebrew article on Maariv/NRG