Rabbis for Religious Freedom and Equality in Israel
A trans-denominational rabbinical network
By founder Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz [Learn more at www.kashrut.org.il] “Hashgacha Pratit” is an alternative Kosher Supervision model for restaurants and businesses. Based on Jewish law, mutual trust and cooperation, the project seeks to put the responsibility for kashrut in the hands of the restaurants and the local community. I established “Hashgacha Pratit” as Head of …
Continue reading “Hashgacha Pratit: An alternative Kosher Supervision model”
Snippets from the article by Amanda Borschel-Dan, Times of Israel [Click for the full TOI article] … Today, the new poster child of religious civil disobedience wears a knitted kippa. And faced with a recalcitrant Knesset ever fearful of disturbing the tenuous status quo, the movement is employing a strategic shift away from legislation and …
Continue reading “Will Orthodox Israelis’ revolt against the chief rabbinate spur a domino effect?”
Friends, we assume you are aware of the public rabbinic debate that ensued following Chief Rabbi Lau’s admonishment of Minister Bennett for visiting a Conservative day school in Manhattan. Rabbi Uri Regev has written about it in the Jerusalem Post and the LA Jewish Journal, and many other responses to Rabbi Lau have been coming …
Continue reading “Responses to Chief Rabbi Lau’s publicly disdainful anti-pluralism”
Recently a coalition called J-REC, which RRFEI members may not be familiar with, made its first mission trip to Israel. The J-REC or Jewish Religious Equality Coalition is the brain child of Dov Zakheim, less known as an Orthodox rabbi than as an adviser to the American Defense Department and a neo-con. As a strategist …
Continue reading “J-REC and RRFEI By Rabbi Prof. Michael Chernick”
This year, following a year-long battle with Hiddush, the Chief Rabbinate updated its kashrut regulations to be in accordance with the law. Everyone that has heard of this change has viewed it as revolutionary and a sea change. It comes after decades of religious coercion, and it is important for us to make clear that …
Continue reading “Enforcing the Chief Rabbinate’s new, legal kashrut regulations”
Dear friends and colleagues, We are aware that many of you have already spoken about these events from your pulpits, but for the benefit of those who have yet to address these tragedies, and even for those who have already done so and faced subsequent questions, we would like to provide you with relevant sources …
Continue reading “Israel’s recent cycle of religious violence”
Please note: Hiddush’s 2014 Israel Religion and State Index is now available here under resources. Media coverage on Hiddush’s victory against the Chief Rabbinate’s illegal kashrut regulations for hotels and event halls is now available here under resources. Please contact RRFEI or register to join Rabbis for Religious Freedom and Equality in Israel.