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And many non-Orthodox Jews would like to see Judaism take a more dominant role in Israeli society and see the Chief Rabbinate or religious legislation as an obstacle.Contemporary critics see the Chief Rabbinate as a body that does more harm than good, particularly among the uninitiated or unversed in Jewish religious culture. Like other state-run bodies, the Chief Rabbinate is marred by red tape and administered by career bureaucrats who receive monthly salaries regardless of how substandard they perform. Often, they have been appointed not because of their selfless commitment to Jewish ideals or even their abilities and knowledge but thanks to their political ties.If the services being provided are mundane – the issuing of a driver’s license, the transfer of a welfare check – contact with the state-run department or agency is bearable, if aggravating. But if the “service” being provided touches on the very foundations of religious faith or one’s religious identity (for instance when one’s conversion or Jewishness is being scrutinized by a marriage registrar) the negative effects can be devastating.The problem is not with Judaism; it is with the system that has succeeded in distorting something beautiful.Israel’s religion-state arrangement also creates an absurd situation in which inherently secularly institutions such as the Knesset and the Supreme Court interfere with matters exclusively religious in nature. This is an anathema from the point of view of those who would like to see Judaism flourish freely in the Jewish state.An example was provided this week.On Sunday, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved for a preliminary Knesset reading a bill that is designed to prevent independent kashrut authorities from operating outside the purview of the Chief Rabbinate. Legislation on the books already makes it illegal to advertise that a restaurant is kosher unless it is under the supervision of the Chief Rabbinate, even if the restaurant serves kosher food. Sunday’s bill seeks to consolidate the Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly. In the past the High Court of Justice has intervened in decisions made by the Chief Rabbinate. In 1990, the High Court ruled that the Jerusalem Rabbinate could not revoke a kashrut certificate from a food establishment because its owners permitted belly dancing on the premises. In 2009, the High Court ruled that the rabbinate in Ashdod could not demand a more stringent level of supervision in a bakery owned by a Jew for Jesus. A unique opportunity presents itself. A coalition can be formed between secular Jews who want to free themselves of religious coercion and those who would like to see Judaism take a more prominent role in society. The groups have a common goal, though each for very different reasons.