Status quo (Israel)
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In
Origins
The prevailing view attributes the origins of the status quo to a letter sent by
In the letter, Ben-Gurion stated that neither the Jewish Agency Executive nor any other body in the country is authorized to determine in advance the constitution of the emerging Jewish state, and its secular character. One precondition from the U.N. for the establishment of the Jewish state was freedom of thought and freedom of speech to all its citizens. It was considered that the letter would satisfy the concerns of religious parties. The letter stipulated policy principles in four main areas that are considered fundamental to Orthodox Judaism:
- Shabbat (the Sabbath of Judaism) — the Jewish state's day of rest would be that of Judaism, between sunset on Friday and sunset on Saturday.
- Kashrut (religious Jewish kosher laws regarding food) — kitchens in the Jewish state's official institutions would keep kosher, as defined by the authorities of Orthodox Judaism, but privately, each individual would be free to choose whether to observe these rules.
- rabbinical courts for Jews and by the relevant religious authorities for people of other faiths, as was the case before; there would be no civil marriage.
- Education — full autonomy to the different Jewish denominations, while stipulating the minimum standards in fields such as the Hebrew language, Jewish history, science, etc.
Personal status issues
The status quo arrangement in Israel officially recognised the authority of only the Orthodox rabbinate on all personal status issues. However, each of the main Jewish denominations has a different view of "Who is a Jew?". The definition has potential implications in a range of areas, including the Law of Return, on nationality, and other purposes. The Orthodox rabbinate has a very strict interpretation of Jewish status and conversion standards, and has demanded recognition only of Orthodox conversion to Judaism. The Orthodox monopoly in Israel has for many years been attacked as a "political stumbling block" in the relations between the more conservative religious community and the state and secular Jews in Israel.
On 1 March 2021, Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled that the government must recognize conversions by the Reform and Masorti (Conservative) movements in Israel for the purposes of citizenship, ending a 15-year legal saga. In 1988, the High Court had ruled that non-Orthodox conversions performed outside of Israel must be recognized for the purposes of aliyah and citizenship under the Law of Return, but did not extend that recognition to non-Orthodox conversions performed in Israel itself.[2]
The Law of Return
The political debate over "Who is a Jew?" has symbolized the secular–religious divide in Israel, and the way it has been handled. It was the principal objective of
According to the
Twenty years after the Law of Return was enacted, the definition of "Who is a Jew?" was ruled to be an individual who was born to a Jewish mother, or one who has converted and is not also under any other religion at the same time. At the same time, however, the right of entry and settlement was extended to people with one Jewish grandparent and a person who is married to a Jew, whether or not he or she is considered Jewish under Orthodox interpretations of Halakha.[3] The political reality of the founding fathers of the state of Israel was one that emphasized the form of consociational democracy. The pattern of this model could be seen in the secular–religious fracture, and especially against the background of not having been implemented in other areas of divisions in the Israeli society.
See also
- Conscription in Israel
- Religion in Israel
- Status Quo (Jerusalem and Bethlehem) - Status quo for nine shared religious sites in Holy Land
- Hashemite custodianship of Jerusalem holy sites
- Torah study commandment
- Torato Omanuto - the special arrangement for yeshiva students, mostly Haredim ("ultra-Orthodox"), that allows them to postpone or be exempted from conscription in the Israel Defense Forces(IDF)
- Hesder - a system combining Torah study with military service, used mostly by the "National Religious" sector (Religious Zionism).
- Sherut Leumi
- Tal committee(the "Tal law")
- Atchalta De'Geulah
- Orthodox Judaism
- Haredi Judaism
- Religious Zionism
- Hardal
- Nahal Haredi
References
- ISBN 978-0-87451-962-4 - The Status Quo Letter DOC Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine (in Hebrew) English translation
- ^ Court rules: Recognize Reform, Conservative conversions done in Israel for citizenship
- ^ Omer-Man, Michael (7 August 2011). "This Week in History: Jewish right to aliya becomes law". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.