Future Challenges
Most
Israelis acknowledge that whether the conversion bill proceeds into law or a compromise
solution is accepted by the Knesset, this most recent controversy over religion and state
in Israel will not be the last.
Issues already evoking dissension include the right of representatives of Conservative
and Reform movements to sit on local rabbinic councils (a Supreme Court decision on the
issue is pending), the right of Reform and Conservative rabbis to perform state-recognized
marriages and divorces in Israel, and disputes over the allocation of Ministry of Religion
to Orthodox and non-Orthodox institutions.
As tension between religious and secular Israelis increases, and as Conservative and
Reform movements in Israel grow more activist, the status of religion and state in the
Jewish state will continue to evolve.
End |