"The State must keep religion in its hands,” said Ben Gurion to Professor Yeshayhau Leibowitz. “Thus, I will never agree to separation of religion from the State.” Zehut advocates keeping religion as far as possible from the State. This stance brings out a fear in religious Jews who were born into our current, warped situation. They can’t imagine Judaism that is not chained to the State. In this way, for the meager price of State funding, the free soul of Judaism has been sol

Religious legislation is detrimental to Israel’s Jewish identity. There are a number of Jewish laws that are observed by virtually everyone. Some examples are circumcision, the Passover Seder and not publicly desecrating Yom Kippur. These traditions are upheld because they are part of our culture – and are not laws for the politicians to argue over. As soon as we bring the Torah into the political-legislative realm, the enriching dialogue between different parts of our societ

As expected, the Grocery Law, prohibiting groceries from opening on Shabbat unless the local municipality legislates otherwise, has brought about a backlash of municipal legislation allowing the opening of businesses on Shabbat. In other words, Interior Minister Deri’s bill has harmed the Jewish identity of the State of Israel. The State apparatus must be distanced from religious issues. Not only to enhance personal liberty, but also to allow Israel’s Jewish identity to devel

The “Grocery Store Bill” that passed yesterday in the Knesset is an excellent example of why the State should not be involved in religious affairs. What is the story behind this bill? In the beginning, there was a law prohibiting the opening of businesses, including grocery stores, on Shabbat. In Tel Aviv, the law was ignored. The High Court supported Tel Aviv. The Knesset opposed Tel Aviv. The bill turned into a major political battle. After a full course of baseless hatred

Your stand is a bit complex and very interesting. You say that Health Minister Litzman, (editor: who resigned from the government on Friday due to desecration of the Shabbat by state-funded train construction) is completely right. On the other hand, you say that on questions of Shabbat observance of privately owned supermarkets and on public transportation, every community should decide for itself. Please explain the dissonance between Litzman’s stand and your own. There is d