https://hiddush.org/subchannel-85-0-International_Advocacy.aspx This is an RSS update from channel International Advocacy on Hiddush website Sat, 11 Apr 2026 07:24:41 GMT He-il https://hiddush.org/article-23564-0-Just_when_you_thought_they_cant_sink_lower.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-23564-0-Just_when_you_thought_they_cant_sink_lower.aspx Thu, 30 Jun 2022 17:04:00 GMT 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. https://hiddush.org/article-23516-0-“Reform”_as_a_generic_invective.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-23516-0-“Reform”_as_a_generic_invective.aspx Thu, 30 Sep 2021 21:45:00 GMT On the eve of Sukkot, the cover of the Shas party’s newspaper “HaDerekh” featured an interview with the party leader, Rabbi Aryeh Deri as the lead article. The first item, in order and in importance, they chose to highlight was the delegitimization of the "Reformers" (i.e. Reform Jews). https://hiddush.org/article-23505-0-Will_Jewish_leadership_continue_looking_the_other_way.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-23505-0-Will_Jewish_leadership_continue_looking_the_other_way.aspx Wed, 04 Aug 2021 15:02:00 GMT The world media, from Washington DC to Burkina Faso, French Guinea and the Arab world covered the phenomenon of the most prominent athlete in Israel today, who won a gold medal for the State of Israel and sweeping praise from the heads of state; but is not allowed by his country to marry his girlfriend because it placed the control of marriage in Israel in the hands of the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate. https://hiddush.org/article-23472-0-The_friend_of_my_enemy_is_my_enemy.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-23472-0-The_friend_of_my_enemy_is_my_enemy.aspx Thu, 04 Mar 2021 16:04:00 GMT Most people are familiar with the expression “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” – it dates back to the 4th century BCE, and one compelling example of its relevance is the case of the USSR partnering with the Western European nations and United States to defeat the Nazis. A more recent compelling example is the increasing closeness of the Gulf States to Israel, as Iran, a common enemy, threatens them both. https://hiddush.org/article-23344-0-2019_Israel_Religion__State_Index_and_postelection_survey.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-23344-0-2019_Israel_Religion__State_Index_and_postelection_survey.aspx Thu, 26 Sep 2019 18:11:00 GMT 84% Adult Israeli Jews support religious freedom and equality of civic burden; 74% oppose government’s activities in religion-state; 63% want a civil coalition, which does not depend on the ultra-Orthodox parties and advances religious freedom and equality; 64% support equal status for the non-Orthodox Jewish streams and Diaspora Jewish engagement in advancing religious freedom and equality in Israel; wide support (62%-84%) for the principles of the Vision Statement on Israel as Jewish and democratic state. https://hiddush.org/article-23297-0-Kosher_slaughter_now_illegal_in_Belgium.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-23297-0-Kosher_slaughter_now_illegal_in_Belgium.aspx Tue, 01 Jan 2019 19:31:00 GMT With the turn of 2019, kosher slaughter in the northern Flanders region of Belgium, home to half of the country’s Jewish population and a major supplier of meat for European Jewish communities, became officially illegal. https://hiddush.org/article-23284-0-It’s_time_for_American_Jewry_to_speak_up_and_act.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-23284-0-It’s_time_for_American_Jewry_to_speak_up_and_act.aspx Wed, 03 Oct 2018 18:31:00 GMT A few days ago PM Netanyahu, in NY to deliver a forceful speech at the UN and meet with world leaders, also met with a small group of top level American Jewish leaders. The little that we know about the meeting gives us reason to urge American Jewish leaders that it’s high time to change course and take a far more proactive approach in dealing with the critically important Israel-Diaspora bridge. https://hiddush.org/article-23162-0-An_EndofYear_review_for_Hiddush.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-23162-0-An_EndofYear_review_for_Hiddush.aspx Thu, 21 Dec 2017 10:54:00 GMT With the end of the year approaching, we turn to you with a request to support the work of Hiddush and generously donate to us to enable us to expand and strengthen our advocacy work to promote freedom of religion and equality for all. https://hiddush.org/article-22147-0-The_Kotel_controversy.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-22147-0-The_Kotel_controversy.aspx Fri, 03 Nov 2017 01:21:00 GMT Many are following the twists and turns of the Kotel controversy with great interest and often anxiety. While grateful to the Jewish Week for featuring his take on the current state of the controversy, Rabbi Uri Regev feels that further contextualization and explanation is needed beyond the quotes that were reported. https://hiddush.org/article-17129-0-The_Chief_Rabbinates_recently_divulged_blacklist_.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-17129-0-The_Chief_Rabbinates_recently_divulged_blacklist_.aspx Thu, 13 Jul 2017 10:59:00 GMT If the Israeli government's recent suspension of the Kotel compromise and push for a restrictive conversion bill were not enough, Israel and the Jewish world woke up this week to yet a newly leaked "blacklist" created by Israel's Chief Rabbinate. https://hiddush.org/article-17124-0-Politicians_who_degrade_the_Diaspora_shouldnt_seek_support_in_its_communities.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-17124-0-Politicians_who_degrade_the_Diaspora_shouldnt_seek_support_in_its_communities.aspx Wed, 28 Jun 2017 21:30:00 GMT If you weren't on Mars this week, there is high likelihood that you are aware of the fierce storms engulfing Israel and world Jewry under the blazing summer sun. Every self-respecting Jewish organization issued a statement, and the language ranged from dismay to deplore, although most were lacking when it came to taking action. https://hiddush.org/article-17011-0-How_low_can_Israeli_politicians_stoop.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-17011-0-How_low_can_Israeli_politicians_stoop.aspx Thu, 17 Nov 2016 17:00:00 GMT Regardless of one's political view point, it seems that many Americans are still trying to recover from the language that characterized much of the Presidential election campaign and manifested itself in some post election outbursts, including racial and anti-Semitic public displays. https://hiddush.org/article-17010-0-Israeli_religious_leaders_theological_responses_to_the_US_elections.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-17010-0-Israeli_religious_leaders_theological_responses_to_the_US_elections.aspx Tue, 15 Nov 2016 10:02:00 GMT Some days out after the US elections, we can now take a look and share with you an angle that has not been covered by the US media, including the Jewish media. Namely, the Israeli religious "angle," both prior to and immediately after the elections. Needless to say, Hiddush, which focuses solely on issues of religion and state in Israel, is not taking a stand on the merits of the campaigns, the desirability of the candidates, the election results, nor the plethora of political post-election reactions in Israel, mostly from settlers and right-wing political party leaders. https://hiddush.org/article-17007-0-MK_Amsalems_ugly_disdain_for_Diaspora_Jewry.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-17007-0-MK_Amsalems_ugly_disdain_for_Diaspora_Jewry.aspx Tue, 08 Nov 2016 12:04:00 GMT We who truly care about Israel's well-being and bond with world Jewry must not continue tolerating such contempt for (and humiliation of) Diaspora Jewry and the largest Jewish religious streams at the hands of the leaders of the parties that serve in his Government Coalition. https://hiddush.org/article-17006-0-PM_to_Diaspora_Jews_Be_Patient_We_say_NO.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-17006-0-PM_to_Diaspora_Jews_Be_Patient_We_say_NO.aspx Fri, 04 Nov 2016 09:17:00 GMT Hiddush's simple, straightforward review of the comments regarding the Western Wall made by the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Knesset, and the Head of the Opposition during the Jewish Agency's Board of Governors meeting this week, teaches us much about how Israel's political leadership prefers to deal with crises in Israel's relations to the Diaspora: it's called "Damage Control." https://hiddush.org/article-16967-0-The_2016_Israel_Religion__State_Index.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16967-0-The_2016_Israel_Religion__State_Index.aspx Tue, 04 Oct 2016 08:17:00 GMT 81% of Israeli Jews are dissatisfied with the Government's activities in the realm of religion & state; 66% support the Kotel compromise; 66% support freedom of marriage; 4 out of 5 secular Jews do not want to marry via the Orthodox Rabbinate. https://hiddush.org/article-16963-0-The_AJCJPost_surveys_of_American__Israeli_Jews_on_pluralism_in_Israel.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16963-0-The_AJCJPost_surveys_of_American__Israeli_Jews_on_pluralism_in_Israel.aspx Thu, 22 Sep 2016 20:08:00 GMT A significant development in the arena of religion and state is a recent study conducted by the Jerusalem Post and the AJC of U.S. and Israeli Jewish public opinion, which was published last Friday. Following is Hiddush's analysis: https://hiddush.org/article-16959-0-Contradictory_messages_exuding_from_the_State_of_Israel_to_Diaspora_Jewry.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16959-0-Contradictory_messages_exuding_from_the_State_of_Israel_to_Diaspora_Jewry.aspx Sun, 21 Aug 2016 13:50:00 GMT This week, two reports were published in the media, which directly contradicted Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Education Naftali Bennett's words just last month: "The State of Israel belongs to all the Jews of the world. https://hiddush.org/article-16924-0-Rabbi_Haskel_Looksteins_degrading_experience.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16924-0-Rabbi_Haskel_Looksteins_degrading_experience.aspx Thu, 30 Jun 2016 11:24:00 GMT If we needed any further reminder that the issue of "Who is a Jew" hits directly home in North America, the recent news regarding the refusal of the Israeli Rabbinic courts to accept Rabbi Haskel Lookstein's conversions is the most recent case in point. https://hiddush.org/article-16921-0-Separate_but_equal_in_Israel_Why_should_this_be_considered_okay.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16921-0-Separate_but_equal_in_Israel_Why_should_this_be_considered_okay.aspx Thu, 16 Jun 2016 20:44:00 GMT Serious questions should arise, regarding the ongoing challenge of equal rights and access for the non-Orthodox movements Israel, which continues to follow the path of this unconstitutional principle of "separate but equal." https://hiddush.org/article-16875-0-71_Israeli_Jews_attach_importance_to_marriage__divorce_freedom.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16875-0-71_Israeli_Jews_attach_importance_to_marriage__divorce_freedom.aspx Tue, 12 Apr 2016 12:14:00 GMT 60% of the Jewish Israeli public supports the involvement of American Jewish organizations in advancing marriage freedom in Israel. There is no doubt that for Israelis – breaking the yoke of the fundamentalist Orthodox Rabbinate in marriage and divorce is a top priority among the religion/state battles. Israelis welcome American Jewish partnership in advancing this cause, both for the sake of Israel and for the sake of world Jewry! https://hiddush.org/article-16845-0-The_Kotel_Agreement_–_Multiple_Perspectives.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16845-0-The_Kotel_Agreement_–_Multiple_Perspectives.aspx Wed, 24 Feb 2016 13:25:00 GMT The picture that emerges now is fuller and more complex. On the side of those involved in reaching the agreement, additional perspectives have been emerging. Below, we will attempt to organize the primary views and arguments that were heard following the agreement, both pro, con, and those in-between. https://hiddush.org/article-16809-0-After_Kotel_compromise_dramatic_changes_still_needed.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16809-0-After_Kotel_compromise_dramatic_changes_still_needed.aspx Wed, 03 Feb 2016 08:50:00 GMT The progress made over the Kotel should convince communal leaders that we need to further engage in the religion-state clash, and that Israelis need support in advancing the Jewish state’s own core founding principles of religious freedom and equality for all. https://hiddush.org/article-16808-0-Is_the_Kotel_Deal_Merely_a_Fig_Leaf_For_Rabbinic_Tyranny.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16808-0-Is_the_Kotel_Deal_Merely_a_Fig_Leaf_For_Rabbinic_Tyranny.aspx Tue, 02 Feb 2016 07:29:00 GMT The historic Kotel Agreement represents laudable progress in Israel’s stormy sea of religion, state and politics, but it is important to remember that the issue of prayer at the Kotel is only one of many in the arena of ​​religious freedom. We do not have the luxury of sitting back and relishing this. https://hiddush.org/article-16807-0-Religious_politicians_abuse_their_authority.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16807-0-Religious_politicians_abuse_their_authority.aspx Thu, 28 Jan 2016 09:16:00 GMT The Education Ministry has frozen budgeted funds for non-Orthodox and secular education initiatives. The religious politicians abuse their authority, and pour millions into one-sided brainwashing efforts. It’s time for Israeli and Diaspora leaderships to declare: Judaism, pluralism, Jewish Peoplehood and democracy are too important to be left at the mercy of sectarian interests, https://hiddush.org/article-16806-0-How_to_most_effectively_advocate_for_religious_freedom_and_equality_in_Israel.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16806-0-How_to_most_effectively_advocate_for_religious_freedom_and_equality_in_Israel.aspx Tue, 26 Jan 2016 13:41:00 GMT What advocacy strategy should supporters of religious freedom in Israel pursue? How should we set our policy priorities? How meaningful are Prime Minister Netanyahu's promises to Diaspora Jewry? https://hiddush.org/article-16852-0-President_Rivlins_response_to_Rabbis_Jacobs__Wernicks_demands.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-16852-0-President_Rivlins_response_to_Rabbis_Jacobs__Wernicks_demands.aspx Mon, 11 Jan 2016 11:09:00 GMT Rabbi Uri Regev unpacks an encounter between President Rivlin and U.S. rabbis of different denominations, and considers its actual substance, regarding whether we are indeed witnessing a change of heart on Rivlin’s part, and what this exchange may suggest for future strategy in this arena. https://hiddush.org/article-6662-0-Hiddush_Releases_2014_Israel_Religion_and_State_Index;_Strong_desire_for_involvement_of_world_Jewry_in_efforts_for_freedom_of_marriage.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-6662-0-Hiddush_Releases_2014_Israel_Religion_and_State_Index;_Strong_desire_for_involvement_of_world_Jewry_in_efforts_for_freedom_of_marriage.aspx Tue, 23 Sep 2014 09:15:00 GMT Public support for freedom of religion and equality in Israel is rapidly growing. The vast majority of Israeli Jews support joint efforts between Israel and world Jewry for freedom of marriage in Israel. https://hiddush.org/article-2620-0-Rabbi_Uri_Regev_at_LimmudNY_2014_Who_is_a_Jew.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-2620-0-Rabbi_Uri_Regev_at_LimmudNY_2014_Who_is_a_Jew.aspx Sun, 16 Mar 2014 09:09:00 GMT Rabbi Uri Regev speaks at the 2014 LimmudNY Conference on the hot question of "Who is a Jew?" https://hiddush.org/article-2615-0-Rabbi_Uri_Regevs_oped_(in_French)_Freedom_of_Marriage_is_an_issue_for_Jews_all_around_the_world.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-2615-0-Rabbi_Uri_Regevs_oped_(in_French)_Freedom_of_Marriage_is_an_issue_for_Jews_all_around_the_world.aspx Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:45:00 GMT Rabbi Uri Regev writes in the Jewish Liberal Movement in France's Tenoua Magazine about Israel's marriage crisis and how Jews from Israel, France, and all over the world are affected https://hiddush.org/article-2608-0-The_American_Jewish_Committee_workshop_A_step_of_exceptional_importance.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-2608-0-The_American_Jewish_Committee_workshop_A_step_of_exceptional_importance.aspx Thu, 06 Feb 2014 12:59:00 GMT The American Jewish Committee brought together leaders and scholars from America and Israel to form a strategic path towards freedom of religion in Israel and equality between Israeli and Diaspora Jewry. https://hiddush.org/article-2597-0-Rabbi_Uri_Regevs_oped_on_the_Rabbi_Avi_Weiss_saga_The_battle_must_continue.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-2597-0-Rabbi_Uri_Regevs_oped_on_the_Rabbi_Avi_Weiss_saga_The_battle_must_continue.aspx Thu, 23 Jan 2014 10:53:00 GMT American Jewry has much to learn from the latest fiasco between the Israeli Chief Rabbinate and American Orthodoxy. It reveals their potential for positive change and provides a powerful model for achieving freedom of religion and equality in Israel. https://hiddush.org/article-2590-0-Past_Successes_and_Future_Challenges_for_Israel.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-2590-0-Past_Successes_and_Future_Challenges_for_Israel.aspx Mon, 06 Jan 2014 10:06:00 GMT Rabbi Uri Regev looks back on some of the highlights and progress made in the efforts for freedom of religion and equality in Israel. Some of the most memorable successes were the creation of a government coalition without ultra-Orthodox parties, the great amounts of attention dedicated to religion and state issues on the Knesset agenda, the launching of the Freedom of Marriage World Map, and most recently, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to the Union for Reform Judaism's Biennial convention. https://hiddush.org/article-2583-0-Prime_Minister_Netanyahu_“Audacious_Hospitality”_and_Real_Jewish_Unity.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-2583-0-Prime_Minister_Netanyahu_“Audacious_Hospitality”_and_Real_Jewish_Unity.aspx Thu, 19 Dec 2013 11:54:00 GMT Netanyahu’s message regarding Jewish unity left much to be desired. Will American Jewry buy Netanyahu’s shiny wrapping, or look inside to find a disturbingly bare box. https://hiddush.org/article-2582-0-Prime_Minister_Netanyahu_promises_audacious_hospitality_to_American_Jewry_but_how_serious_is_he.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-2582-0-Prime_Minister_Netanyahu_promises_audacious_hospitality_to_American_Jewry_but_how_serious_is_he.aspx Tue, 17 Dec 2013 10:30:00 GMT Rabbi Uri Regev questions the ability of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver his promises to the delegates of the 2013 URJ Biennial Convention in San Diego. https://hiddush.org/article-2448-0-A_less_spoken_about_angle_The_threat_Israel_presents_to_Jewish_peoplehood.aspx https://hiddush.org/article-2448-0-A_less_spoken_about_angle_The_threat_Israel_presents_to_Jewish_peoplehood.aspx Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:59:00 GMT In a publication of the Center for Jewish Peoplehood, Rabbi Uri Regev focuses on the damage to the sense of Peoplehood brought about by the lack of religious pluralism in Israel.