Controversial Israeli conversion bill delayed for 6 months
By Cnaan Liphshiz and Ben Sales (JTA) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shelved a controversial bill that would have made the haredi Orthodox-dominated Chief Rabbinate…
Religion
Israel’s controversial conversion bill, explained
By Ben Sales (JTA) — Israeli politicians and Jewish leaders are fighting again over an age-old question: Who counts as a Jew? And who gets…
Suspension of Western Wall deal leaves Jewish leaders feeling betrayed
By Ben Sales (JTA) — They’ve tried strongly worded statements. They’ve tried private meetings with the prime minister. They’ve tried negotiations, protest and prayer. But…
Decaying relations with Diaspora yield bold words in Israel, but little action
By Andrew Tobin JERUSALEM (JTA) – Israeli politicians rushed to condemn their government’s decision Sunday to freeze a plan promoting pluralistic prayer at the Western Wall….
‘Jewish spouses matter,’ says a new demographic study. Let the battle begin.
By Andrew Silow-Carroll NEW YORK (JTA) — One of the wisest things ever said about intermarriage came from former Atlantic sports columnist Jake Simpson: “No stat…