Yedidia Z. Stern - ידידיה צ. שטרן's Blog, page 5

How to save Israel’s Shabbat

With the latest Shabbat train crisis, the Israeli Shabbat once again found itself on the front lines of the country’s religious vs. secular quagmire, being described as a problem and not a promise, as a day of restrictions and not a day of rest, as disconnected from life rather than restoring its very essence. Battles […]

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The Jewish Happiness Index

Israeli discourse emphasizes the negative aspects of our national life — antisemitism and de-legitimation abroad, kulturkampf and assaults on democracy at home. Terrorism pounds at our doors and social gaps cast their shadow on our humanity. Religion duels with the state while we argue about our borders across social fissures reminiscent of a tribal society. […]

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The Mikveh Bill: When my purity means your impurity

Can you imagine legislation that invokes the holy Temple in Jerusalem, the high priest, and Yom Kippur? That refers to the Holy of Holies and goes as far as mentioning the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai? Well, the explanatory notes of a recent Knesset bill do just that, and when a bill’s sponsors […]

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How to not draft the ultra-Orthodox

The Shaked Committee has begun voting on the provisions of its proposed bill for equality in sharing the burden of military service in Israel. This is the final stretch of a social, political and legal process that has spanned several years and is intended to correct an imbalance as old as the State of Israel. […]

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Jail won’t solve Haredi draft evasion

The issue of a more equal sharing of the burden of military service was at the heart of the election campaign for the current Knesset. The current coalition—which is devoid of ultra-Orthodox parties and rests on an alliance between “brothers” Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid—was tailor-made to enable the passage of legislation that would redress […]

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