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Since the founding of the Zionist movement until today, the question of the relationship between "Church" and the state remains unresolved. This book is the historical and contemporary story of this conflict. It is impossible to understand the State of Israel properly without reading it.
List of contents
Personal Introduction and Acknowledgments
Introduction: Jewish and Democratic—On Church-State Relations in Israel
1. The Shaping of the Status Quo
2. The Erosion of the Status Quo
3. Religion and State: The Failed Attempts to Enact Arrangements
4. Factors that Erode the Status Quo
5. Religion and State: Is Legislation of Any Use?
Conclusion: Separation of Religion and State?
Index
About the author
Dr. Shuki Friedman, qualified rabbinate, jurist and expert in constitutional and Muslim law, serves as vice president of the Jewish People's Policy Institute and is a law lecturer at the Peres Academic Center. Friedman is also an expert on the ultra-orthodox community and its relations with Israeli society. Over the years he worked in the Prime Minister's Office, and also led policy changes Pertaining to the relationship between religion and state in Israel and the integration of the ultra-Orthodox community into Israeli society, Friedman has published studies and articles on these topics, and recently the first prose book by him was also published.
Summary
Since the founding of the Zionist movement until today, the question of the relationship between “church” and state in Israel remains unresolved, resulting in a continuous legal and social conflict among Israelis. The tension that arises from Judaism acting not only as a religion and culture but also as a national entity constitutionally underpinning an entire state—resulting in the “Jewish and democratic state” of Israel—manifests in major aspects of daily life for Israelis, such as marriage and divorce, conversion, and Shabbat. This book presents a crucial piece of scholarship in understanding the history and current dynamics of the relation between state and religion in Israel, and, in doing so, provides a unique perspective on the future potential solutions to this social rift.
