Freedom of religion in israel

Simchat Torah: Divine fire and national legacy

Should Torah exist apart from society or be fully integrated within it?

|ByMOSHE TARAGIN
SIMCHAT TORAH at the Gush Etzion junction.
Muslims pray on the first Friday of Ramadan, at the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound in Jerusalem's Old City, March 7, 2025

Police on guard as tens of thousands of Muslims hold Ramadan prayers on Temple Mount

Police said mass prayer on al-Aqsa ended on Friday afternoon with no irregular incidents, after Israel limited the number entering from the West Bank.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A WOMAN walks in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. The Armenians in Jerusalem are one of the smallest and most vulnerable communities; they are neither Palestinian nor Israeli and have no interest in being dragged into the ongoing conflict, says the writer.

Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter under threat: Urgent call for protection - opinion

Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter faces a critical threat from real estate deals and far-Right ambitions. Urgent action is needed to protect this vital part of the city’s cultural and religious heritage.

|ByNADAV TAMIR
NATIONAL SECURITY Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir walks near the Western Wall, after visiting the temple Mount on Tisha B’Av, earlier this month.

US criticizes Ben Gvir's Temple Mount visit, sparking debate on Jewish prayer rights - opinion

US opposition to Itamar Ben Gvir's Temple Mount visit highlights hypocrisy in denying Jewish prayer rights while supporting discriminatory practices.

|ByALIZA PILICHOWSKI

Imam aims to build bridges with ‘People of the Book’

Sheikh Hassen Chalghoumi: ‘I come here to encourage others to work with me to build solidarity between all people."

MARCH 21, 2023ByMAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN
Sheikh Hassen Chalghoumi (left) receiving his badge from Aharon Azoulay, head of Hamifrats

Do not alienate those who disagree with you politically

Compromise is necessary to preserve solidarity between us.

FEBRUARY 24, 2023ByYEDIDIA STERN
A DEBATE gets stormy in the Knesset this week. The mutual denial and accusations of malicious intentions must be replaced with a willingness to listen and understand each other’s grievances, says the writer.

US gov't commission ‘seeks assurances’ for status quo of Jerusalem holy sites

The commission said it had recorded an increase in the targeting of churches, mosques, and synagogues, as well as religious sites.

FEBRUARY 17, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A priest shows a gravestone allegedly vandalized by Jewish men in the Christian cemetery on Mount Zion, in the Old City of Jerusalem, January 4, 2023.

Israel: A Jewish democracy or religious state? - opinion

The Israeli government should strike a balance between the demands made by the ultra-Orthodox sectors and the needs of Israeli citizens in general.

FEBRUARY 12, 2023ByLIOR AKERMAN
BNEI BRAK: The combination of ultra-Orthodox large families who are unemployed, lack a regular income and the basic education required for knowledge and occupation, has led to extensive poverty among this sector, says the writer.

The Western Wall bill was a costly mistake by Netanyahu's gov't - analysis

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's response to criticisms often shows how serious of a threat he views them.

FEBRUARY 9, 2023ByELIAV BREUER
Benjamin Netanyahu visits at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, the night before the Israeli general elections, October 31, 2022

Remembering a mentor, friend and peacemaker, Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa

Shaikh Khalid died this past Friday, January 27th, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

FEBRUARY 1, 2023ByABRAHAM COOPER
Rabbi Abraham Cooper meets Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, on Hanukkah, December 2017.

Mainstream religious Zionist rabbi appointed head of Conversion Authority

A new head of the Conversion Authority has been appointed by the Prime Minister's Office.

JANUARY 17, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
The building of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel is located in Jerualem.

Israel's High Court protects people from across the political spectrum - opinion

The legal reforms will remove barriers to misuse of power and open the door for more criminals to enter politics and destroy the state.

JANUARY 13, 2023ByKYLIE EISMAN-LIFSCHITZ
THE HIGH Court ruled that regulations arbitrarily preventing anyone under 21 from receiving compensation for the 2005 Gaza eviction did not comply with the proportionality requirement of the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty.

Israel's issues on religion and state – return to status quo or a new era?

POLITICAL AFFAIRS: Since we don’t yet know what the government will do, what are the most dramatic clauses in the agreements, taken at face value?

DECEMBER 30, 2022ByELIAV BREUER
UKRAINIAN IMMIGRANTS are greeted by then-absorption minister Pnina Tamano-Shata (third right) upon their arrival at Ben-Gurion Airport in February.

Override Clause will erode Israel's democracy, castrate Supreme Court - opinion

This policy is intended to bring Israel closer to the model of a Torah state and distance it from the Declaration of Independence’s promise of religious freedom and equality.

NOVEMBER 14, 2022ByURI REGEV
MK MOSHE GAFNI emerges from coalition talks at a hotel in Jerusalem, last week. ‘We are joining in order to implement policy and to do so we need the override clause,’ he said.