My friend Raphi Jospe, an Israeli philosopher, recently wrote that Israel has no state religion. Most people do not know this. This is what he wrote:
In that regard it is the only “secular democracy” in the Middle East, in sharp contrast with many Arab/Islamic countries, and also differs from the UK (Anglicanism), many Scandanavian countries (Lutheranism), Greece (Orthodoxy), various countries which have Catholicism, etc. Some of those countries may certainly be democratic but they have “established churches” and the head of state is also the head of the church (in theory if not in practice) or at least a professing member of that church. Israel is defined as the “state of the Jewish people” and a “Jewish state” in a national sense.
Israel’s Declaration of Independence – (מגילת העצמאות ) – the closest thing we have to a constitution, says nothing of an “established” state religion, but refers in different ways a number of times to the “right of the Jewish people (or: nation – העם היהודי) to establish its own state in its ancestral homeland, a right recognized by the UN, etc. For example:
. הכרה זו של האומות המאוחדות בזכות העם היהודי להקים את מדינתו אינה ניתנת להפקעה.
זוהי זכותו הטבעית של העם היהודי להיות ככל עם ועם עומד ברשות עצמו במדינתו הריבונית
There is no reference to or requirement of a religious test for public office in Israel. However unlikely it is that anytime in the foreseeable future someone named Muhammad or Christopher will become president or prime minister, that is a social reality, not a constitutional requirement, and the Declaration of Independence explicitly guarantees freedom of religion, etc. (although how that guarantee coexists with a state rabbinate is a terrible problem davka for Jews, not for non-Jews in Israel). Keep in mind that the USA with its constitutional separation of religion and state never had a non-Protestant. President until JFK (1961), nor a non-white until Obama (2009), nor until this day a non-Christian, nor a woman (we’ll see what happens in November, 2024).
Am in full support of your argumentation, dear Rabbi Israel Drazin ! The idea for a modern, centralized rabbinic authority did evolve during the British Mandate period (1917-1948), when the British ruled over Palestine (modern-day Israel). However, the practice of having a Chief Rabbi can also be traced back to the Ottoman Empire’s millet system, which incorporated religious leaders into administrative roles. In 1921, Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook became the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine, and the Chief Rabbinate has continued in Israel since.
The issue involving the Office of the Chief Rabbinate in Israel and its acceptance of religious diversity among its citizens is a complex one, deeply rooted in the structure of Israel as both a democratic and a Jewish state. Some view the Chief Rabbinate as a pivotal institution in preserving the Jewish identity and religious coherence of the country, while others decry its authority as inhibiting religious expression and infringing upon individual rights. Balancing the need for preservation of tradition and religious law (halacha) with the democratic values of personal freedom and equality is a complex issue, and a solution would likely involve dialogue, negotiation, and compromise from all parties involved. It’s important to remember that issues of religion and state are often complex and multifaceted, and consequently, there are diverse opinions on how best to address them within a democratic society.
Very interesting, as usual. I placed Dr. Jospe’s email in my upcoming book. wrote that I had also placed it on booksnthoughts and said I agreed with him. I added that you responded to what I placed and inserted what you wrote also in the book.
Stephen, you are correct. I mistated that Wiesel was born in Russia.
Hopefully the record of not having a woman will still be in tact after November
I would like to get your friend, Raphi Jospe’s, opinion on this matter. I agree with him that the modern state of Israel has no state religion. Israel is a secular state. However, in many ways, arguably, Israel is a theistic state. For example, the rabbinate controls citizenship (law of return) marriage (who you can marry), burial (who can be buried and where), and holidays (everything shuts down on shabbat). It is a crime to sell unleavened bread on Passover, for example. Soldiers in the IDF were jailed for eleven days for eating pork. In America, there is no such thing as the church controlling marriage, burial, citizenship, and holidays. America has the concept of “separation of church and state.” It seems that Israel coexists with a rabbinate state. If Israel has no state religion, why does the rabbinate control these secular items?
Raphi and Iagree with you,as he indicates in what I
posted of his writing.
Raphi Jospe states that every US President was a Christian. They were Christian in name only. A lot of the founding fathers were not what we think of as traditional Christians, quite a few of them were deists. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin weren’t Christians, they were deists. The US was not founded as a Christian nation. In a treaty with the Barbary pirates, Joel Barlow wrote that “the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion.” The Bill of Rights says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”.It says America shall not adopt an official religion. I think the fact that many presidents were Christian happens to be that they were voted.
Yes, dear Rabbi Israel Drazin ! Israel does not have a state religion in the sense of an “official” religion like some other countries do. However, Judaism significantly influences its legal framework and cultural context. Israel defines itself as a “Jewish and democratic state,” which reflects the strong role that Judaism plays within the nation. The laws of the state, while largely secular, are intertwined in various areas with Jewish law, such as Shabbat observance and kosher regulations, among others. But this does not imply a theocratic state; it reflects a unique model where religious and secular systems coexist. As a democratic state, Israel guarantees freedom of religion for all its citizens. Best: stephen
Yes, Israel is designed to accommodare the religion of all its citizens, While it protects the beliefs of Orthodox Jews, it does not infring upon the behaviors of non-Jewish citizens. One problem, as Raphi Jospe points out is the Office of the Chief Rabbinate which does not want to accept this openess idea.