Project Director: Professor Yedidia Z. Stern
Former Co-Director: Professor Aviezer Ravitzky
Research Staff: Dr. Yitzhak Brand, Dr. Benjamin Brown, Dr. Yossi David, Rabbi Avi Gisser, Mr. Eliezer Hadad, Adv. Nahum Langental, Dr. Kalman Neuman, Dr. Benny Porat, Mr. Yair Sheleg, and Mr. Yehiel Tropper

The relationship between religion and state is one of the most crucial issues in the cultural and political life of Israeli society. It creates political parties, topples governments, and takes center stage at any public debate on constitution, law, or civil rights. In addition, it is at the core of the debate on Israel’s national identity and culture and puts a decisive stamp on its relations with the Diaspora, in the shape of the Law of Return and the Conversion Law. It can be safely assumed that the relationship between religion and state will continue to present a source of problems and controversy – at the communal, legal, ideological and existential level – in the future. The Israel Democracy Institute is, therefore, examining alternative approaches and models with relation to this issue on the basis of Jewish and Western sources, with the aim of offering new solutions and perceptions. At the same time, the Institute is also examining the social and ideological tensions that arise from Israel’s constitutional character as a state that is both Jewish and democratic.

In 2005, the tension between religion and state became acute due to the disengagement plan. Many rabbis declared that the plan was inconsistent with their understanding of the Jewish religion. It is in this context which the following issues, which this project addresses, are evaluated:

• Law and Halakhah: The bitter dispute between Israeli Law and Halakhah poses harsh consequences for democracy and Judaism alike. The role of Halakhah and religious legislation in Israeli public sphere is being examined and analyzed on the basis of liberal philosophy. Options for coexistence between law and Halakhah are also being analyzed.
  
  
• Rabbis: Rabbis are a major factor in Israeli democracy. They are the true leaders of several political parties, they controlled the religious opposition to the disengagement plan and they were those who eventually enabled the pull-out of Gaza without too much bloodshed. Their status, according to Israeli law and according to Halakhah, is being examined along with the scope of their authority.
  
  
• Secularism and Halakhah: One of the main points of tension in Israeli society is the non-acceptance of secularism by the religious. Research in this field will lead to a proposal of a fresh Halakhic attitude towards secularism that will hopefully facilitate a major break-through in religious-secular relations.
  
  
• Religion and State: Surprisingly, there is no legal text book in Hebrew on this crucial issue. This challenge will be confronted, and a three-volume text book that will be created will analyze the conflict and explore ways of coping. In these books, the importance of the solutions raised by Constitution by Consensus will be stressed.