Opinion With Religious Influence a Key Issue in Israel's Election, Everybody Wins
It's become the center-left’s most effective issue, an emotional one like hatred for Netanyahu. And it's a godsend, so to speak, for Lieberman
Judaism
Rabbinical Court: Cheating Wife to Get Less Than Usual Half of Joint Property
In unprecedented verdict based on civil law, judges decide that wife who had an affair for over a decade will receive only 20% of property she and spouse accrued during that period
U.S. 'Leftists' vs. the Israeli Establishment: Tensions Rise in the Ger Hasidic Sect
The growing split between the Gerer leadership in Israel and its U.S. branch has spawned oppositionists' support of a person boycotted by its all-powerful rabbi – and punishment of 'rebels'
Israel to Launch Ad Campaign to Promote Jewish Ritual Baths for Women
At a cost of 1 million shekels, Religious Affairs Ministry's campaign to feature female celebrities sharing their personal experience of the mikveh
Opinion A (Somewhat) Secular Case for Mourning the Temple
I once regretted that we ever dirtied our hands with the barbaric practice of animal sacrifice at the Temple. But now each Tisha B'Av, I relive the place's destruction all again
Los Angeles Jewish Center Sued Over Yom Kippur Chicken-swinging Ritual
Activists cite animal rights law, say slaughtered animals must be used for food
The Chutzpah That Made Dr. Ruth the Real Wonder Woman
Legendary sex therapist Ruth Westheimer tells Haaretz – in Hebrew – about the limits of the #MeToo movement, Judaism's contribution to sex theory, and the documentary about her that's now hitting Israel
Rabbinate Making It Harder for Israeli Immigrants to Prove They’re Jewish, Study Finds
The Rabbinate is moving toward science and documents to prove Judaism, complicating Ethiopian and former Soviet Jews' attempts to marry in Israel
Americans Don’t Know Much About Judaism but Love Jews, Pew Survey Finds
In a study conducted by the research center, Jewish people got an average likability score by Americans, while Muslims scored the lowest, together with Atheists
Sex Separation at Jerusalem Conference Attended by Government Officials
Following a complaint, deputy attorney general says segregation at event for religious and ultra-Orthodox people was improper ■ Organizers say attendees insisted on it
'Only Room for Men': Driver Denied Israeli Woman Entry on Bus to ultra-Orthodox Town
'They only ride when men and women are separated,' driver of bus 402 from Jerusalem to Bnei Brak allegedly said
New Netflix Show ‘Family Business’ Is a French-Jewish Version of ‘Breaking Bad’
The French series follows a French Jewish family, the Hazans, that turn their failed kosher meat shop into a marijuana factory
Tefillin on Women? Feminist Prayer Group Challenges Chabad on Its Own Turf
As well as a steady stream of insults, bewilderment and even spitting, members of Women of the Wall find some takers at their phylacteries booth
How Christians Invented 'Judaism,' According to a Top Talmud Scholar
One of the greatest living scholars of the Talmud, Daniel Boyarin ponders the place where the two traditions were born, in brotherly rivalry but with a common biblical origin
The Cave Dwellers of Israel's Mystical Mount Meron
Dozens choose to live in caves around the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai – with the help of amenities that make this alternative lifestyle doable
This Chicago Synagogue Commemorates Nakba Day, Not Israeli Independence Day
On Yom Kippur, congregants collectively beat their chests to repent for Israel’s actions
Neither Israel's nor Germany's Slide Into Fascism Was Accidental
The Zionist attempt to create a secular-national movement based on Jewish identity could not help but have a religious messianic component. From there it was inevitable that it would turn racist
Kosher and Open on Shabbat: Israel's Restaurants May Be on Their Way to Revolution
A petition filed by a restaurant owner in Jerusalem seeks the same terms that hotels receive regarding Shabbat observance
Analysis Not the Palestinians, the Economy or Even Netanyahu: Election Will Test Israel's Jewish Character
Far-right leader has unleashed a firestorm with his comments on Jewish theocracy, making September 17 much more than another referendum on Netanyahu's leadership
Opinion What Do Secular Israelis Believe In?
Against the background of the growing religionization of Israel, the occupation with secular identity shows that it’s a flimsy ideology that doesn’t truly exist in its own right
Spiritual Guidance for Secular Youth: NYU's Jewish Chaplain Tackles the Culture Wars
Rabbi Yehuda Sarna has his hands full helping students who feel they're being assailed by either the left or the right. Good thing he has his Muslim colleague to pitch in
Opinion Israel's Rabbis Think Genetic Testing Can 'Prove' Jewishness. They're Wrong
The Israeli rabbinate, pushing DNA tests, has fallen into the trap of 19th century racial science: Jewishness is an identity, not a genetic construct – and it can't be measured in a lab
LISTEN: During Passover, Israel Takes a Pass on Religious Freedom
The state's draconian handling of religious observance in public spaces has angered secular Israelis for years. PLUS: What's going on with Netanyahu's coalition? LISTEN FREE
How This City Became Israel’s Model of Jewish Religious Tolerance
Haaretz uncovers Modi’in's secret
Israel's Rabbinate Backs Compromise to Let People Eat Chametz on Hospital Grounds During Passover
Religious authority agrees to allow areas where food that isn't kosher for Passover can be eaten during holiday, but only outside hospital buildings and if guard is present
How the New Israeli Judaism Was Born
A new identity is sweeping Israel – simultaneously traditionalist, nationalist and liberal