Reform, Masorti movements demand restoration of funding for rabbis

The progressive Jewish movements in Israel have fought a long legal battle for their communities to obtain financial support

By JEREMY SHARON
Portrait of Russian Jalena Rubinstein, the first reform female rabbi (photo credit: FLASH90)
Portrait of Russian Jalena Rubinstein, the first reform female rabbi
(photo credit: FLASH90)
The Reform and Masorti (Conservative) movements have filed a petition to the High Court of Justice demanding that state financial support for the salaries of non-Orthodox rabbis be reinstated, following a freeze in such payments earlier this year.
The progressive Jewish movements in Israel have fought a long legal battle for their communities to obtain financial support for the salaries of communal rabbis, just like the support provided for significant numbers of Orthodox rabbis who serve in state-paid positions around the country.
In 2014, non-Orthodox rabbis in serving communities in local councils received funding from the state following a protracted legal battle, although the funds were to come from the Culture and Sport Ministry, instead of the Religious Services Ministry, since the latter – controlled by the Orthodox parties – refused to do so.
It took until 2019 for non-Orthodox rabbis serving progressive communities in cities within regional councils to also get state support.
This year those funds have been frozen, apparently due to the COVID-19 health crisis and the failure to pass a state budget, both to non-Orthodox and Orthodox rabbis.
The progressive Jewish movements have noted however that so-called neighborhood rabbis, who are only Orthodox and who are supposed to serve specific neighborhoods of major cities , are still receiving salaries from the state.
In a petition filed to the High Court of Justice last week, the Reform and Masorti movements demanded that the state explain why it is continuing what the petition describes as ongoing discrimination against the non-Orthodox movements and reinstate the state support, given that no progressive rabbis are getting state support in cities whereas Orthodox ones are still receiving such support.
“The emergency situation we are in is not a reason for causing blatant harm of this type to the value of equality,” said Yizhar Hess, director of the Masorti Movement in Israel.
“In 2019, the state acknowledged that there is discrimination in the funding of religious services, and that it was appropriate that this be fixed as soon as possible for the benefit of the public and the State of Israel,” said Hess.


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