What happens when a nation and religion that have been around for thousands of years – naturally developing limitations, restrictions, and rules on what is permitted and what is forbidden – meet the land of unlimited possibilities? In order to find an answer to this question, and as part of the "Arevim Ze Lazeh" program of Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah and the Shaharit ןnstitute, I embarked on a journey to communities, sub-communities, and trends that comprise American Jewry. Oops, sorry, New York Jewry, with an emphasis on Manhattan.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

But in an attempt to understand the story of the most Jewish city in the world (about two million Jews, depending on who is counting and who is being counted), you must go back to the beginning; and the beginning of US Jewry is quite longstanding.

Video: Mati Tuchfeld / Anti-Zionist protesters during the Celebrate Israel Parade

In 1492 Columbus discovered America. Although he did not yet know that he had discovered a new continent, the world had entered a new era. About 150 years later, a boat with Jewish passengers, descendants of Spanish deportees who lived in Brazil for several years, but had to flee after the Portuguese occupation, arrived on the shores of America. Twenty-three Jews disembark at the port of New Amsterdam (later to become New York) and settle there. A short time later, a Torah scroll was sent to them from the Netherlands. That's it, the Jews have arrived on the new continent.

From this moment on, the Jews are part of the new world that is being built up in America, but they still comprise negligible numbers, compared to the magnificent Jewish world in Europe, especially in Eastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

So, what's your story?

As Israelis, we are mostly familiar with the Zionist narrative, our story. We have been taught about Herzl and the Zionist Congress, about the waves of aliya over the years and the underground movements, about drying up swamps and blooming the wilderness, about David Ben-Gurion and the Declaration of Independence. But at the same time as this historical saga, another tale of the Jewish people was developing, and it is no less remarkable than the first.

In those years of immigration, from the end of the 19th century until the establishment of the State of Israel, for every ship that made its way to the shores of Israel, twenty ships loaded with Jews from Western Europe sailed to the US. There they found themselves in paradise, in comparison to the antisemitism and pogroms in Europe, and also in relation to the struggle evolving in Israel against the Arabs. The American nation is very religious, but as for the state institutions, not at all. There is absolute separation of religion and state. This suited the Jews – we will take care of our own affairs.

Pretty quickly the Jews established themselves in the US, founding their own communities, institutions, and media channels. Due to religious constraints of Sabbath observance, the Jews faced a problem. Workplaces are closed on Sundays, but work is as usual on Saturdays. Having no other choice, the Jews found solutions and started opening their own businesses, where they determined the day of rest. This allowed them to accrue personal capital and become social leaders.

This, in short, is the (very) brief history of American Jewry, in general, and New York, in particular.

Another angle of the most Jewish city in the world, while walking down the streets of Manhattan you cannot ignore the thought that slowly creeps into your head – almost one quarter of New York's nine million residents are Jewish. In a city that is the center of the world in many ways (my apologies to Jerusalem), one out of every four people on the street is Jewish. So, I started counting – 1, 2, 3, Jew ... unbelievable.

On the streets of Manhattan on Saturday (Shabbat), people greet each other with " Shabbat Shalom" (Gut Shabbos), just as if we were walking in Bnei Brak."

Sometimes it seems that the greater the number of Jews in the city, the diversity of communities and religious trends is just as great. Orthodox Judaism, which in Israel has state exclusivity and an almost absolute public presence, both among the religious and the secular communities, is a minority of only 10% among US Jewry. The remainder live on the fine divide between Conservative and Reform, and other trends that we have never even heard of.

So, where does the money come from?

The communities are strong and impressive. Whoever chooses to belong to any Jewish community, is tied by a life-long connection and pays a lot of money for this. Community membership costs thousands of dollars a year, yet the demand is huge, and some communities have a long waiting list to join. The separation of state and religion in the US means that the state does not fund anything religious. You want a synagogue? Pay! You want a Jewish cemetery? Buy space. You want to celebrate religious events? Pay out of your own pocket.

And the Americans pay for all of this, big bucks. Big money is visible everywhere. The congregations maintain centers in the heart of one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the world, which in many cases include not only a magnificent synagogue but also a kind of community center that provides activities for members. Conservative Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, who heads the 1,800-member Park Avenue congregation in Manhattan, speaks of an annual budget of 22 million dollars.

Their magnificent building was renovated at a cost of about 100 million Dollars (for comparison, the 2022 budget of the Ministry of Religious Services in Israel, which is responsible, among others, for the maintenance of synagogues, was 540 million Shekels – about 150 million dollars). The gabbai (warden) of the Lincoln Square Orthodox Synagogue proudly tells that their synagogue hall is the most expensive in Manhattan – constructed at a cost of 50 million Dollars.

In most synagogues, you will not find many worshipers on weekdays. There was hardly a minyan (quorum) without us at the Spanish-Portuguese synagogue on a weekday morning. The situation was the same in the other synagogues. Try to imagine a huge synagogue with hundreds and maybe thousands of seats, that is almost completely empty. The Spanish-Portuguese synagogue was founded by the Congregation Shearith Israel from the first 23 Jews who came to America in 1654. For hundreds of years, it was the most significant Jewish community on the continent, which provided all Jewish religious needs – synagogues, burial, kashrut, and mikveh (ritual baths). After a period of wandering, the synagogue was established in 1897 in the place where it stands to this day.

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, of the Park Avenue congregation, speaks of an annual budget of 22 million dollars. Their building was renovated at a cost of about 100 million Dollars. The Lincoln Square Orthodox Synagogue proudly tells that their synagogue hall cost 50 million dollars.

Unlike Israel, despite the clear differences and sharp divisions between the various religious trends, you will still find communication and friendships between rabbis and community leaders from Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform movements in New York. "I am on very good terms with them. I will talk to them one on one, but I will not meet with them in rabbinic forums, because my starting point is fundamentally different," says Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union (OU), one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the world. "American Jewry is collapsing, but Orthodoxy is on the rise," he adds, and it is true that in terms of dry data the number of Orthodox Jews has grown, the number of Reform Jews has remained stable, and there has been a significant decline in the number of Conservative Jews.

As Israelis, we know the OU mainly when looking for their kosher stamp on products from abroad, but the organization has additional fields. Among others, they run camps for American teenagers who come to Israel for several weeks, classes for Jewish children who study in the public education system (and not in Jewish schools), university projects for Jewish students, a Torah study program that also includes exams, and more. The money is channeled through a very organized mechanism. Every dollar that enters the organization from the vast kashrut system (and thank God, there is a lot), is directed to Jewish educational activities.

Is Judaism without borders still Judaism?

And if returning to our original question, the one about religion in the US – America is showing you that the possibilities of being Jewish here are almost limitless. The Orthodox-Conservative-Reform alliance? You're joking. Welcome to the largest Jewish mall in the world. David Ingber grew up in the US in a middle-of-the-road Orthodox family. Like many of his friends, he was sent to study at a yeshiva in Israel and spent quite some time roaming the streets of Jerusalem. But something didn't connect within him. He studied doctrines of the East and fluctuated between some indistinct trends until he found his place in a Hassidic sect that is close to Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach.

But what do you do when there is no religious framework that suits your needs? You set up something new, of course. So Rabbi Ingber founded the Romemu community, which currently numbers about 800 families. The community is open to Jews and non-Jews. The community grew, overflowing in the building, and Ingber found a creative solution – the large church across the street, which is closed on Saturdays. Since then, prayers have been held in the church, something that just thinking about it makes many Jews shudder.

The prayers themselves are a kind of mix between Buddha, Carlebach, and Bruce Springsteen, combined with dancing and musical instruments. "Everyone is welcome," Rabbi Ingber explains, "'For My House shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.' This is not my house. I see the Halachah as good advice, not as law."

In the heart of Manhattan, a short walk from Madison Square Garden, the basketball court of the local New York Knicks, is home to the Congregation Beit Simchat Torah. Already at the entrance, four (!) large pride flags adorn the wall, leaving no room for doubt – welcome to the first LGBT synagogue in the world, established 50 years ago, at a time when the community members were not so easily integrated into the Jewish world, and has since been used by local members.

One of the walls adorns a memorial plaque, not much different than one you will find in almost any synagogue in the world, except that this one commemorates members of the community who died of AIDS. The bathrooms are of course nongendered, and a surprise at the door left us speechless – a large bowl with condoms. Yes, you read that right, a bowl of free contraceptives in a synagogue. The reason – this, ultimately, is a population at risk. Nevertheless!

But you won't find the real surprise on the walls or in the bathroom; rather it is one of the community rabbis. Rabbi Mike Moskowitz is an ultra-Orthodox Jew. He studied for several years at the prestigious Mir Yeshiva in Israel and has been living in New York's ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. His children study in mainstream ultra-Orthodox schools and yeshivot.

He became acquainted with the LGBT debate after a family member came out of the closet as transgender, and since then has been involved in the community. After writing articles, he received several halachic questions and he became a sort of "posek" (religious arbitrator) of these issues, first under a pseudonym. What questions, do you ask? Fasten your seat belts, the crazy roller coaster of New York begins: A transgender who wants to convert, how does he perform a circumcision? Is it permitted to participate in a pride parade on the 17th of Tammuz? (The answer: if it's a carnival to you – then no; if it's an event whose main purpose is a war against unjustified hatred – then not only is it permitted, but it is required that you do). Am I permitted to marry a person I am not attracted to? And more questions from a world that Halachah has almost never addressed.

A strange paradox is that the rabbi of the synagogue cannot pray in his own synagogue, because the prayer style there is Reform, and he is ultra-Orthodox. So, they organize an orthodox halachically appropriate minyan for him in a side hall.

Another issue that is very prominent in all streams of Manhattan communities is gender equality. For the Reform and Conservatives, there is basically no issue; there is full equality, both in seating during prayers and in duties.

This is a challenge for the Orthodox. What exists here in Israel on a very small scale, is center-stage there. Life in a super-liberal and super-egalitarian state requires finding solutions to the gender issue. In most Orthodox synagogues the partition between the women's section and men's section is very low, about half a body high, without a curtain or anything that hides the congregants from each other. In some synagogues the partition is placed horizontally, dividing the prayer hall half and half between the men and the women.

Yeshivat Hadar is located in the heart of Manhattan. This is an institution that has existed for fifteen years, where men and women study together. The yeshiva, or Hadar Institute, as it is also known, does not define itself as belonging to any religious denomination. There we met two of the yeshiva leaders, Rabbi Ethan and Rabbi Aviva. No, it's not a mistake. At the yeshiva, the women are also called rabbi. Not rabba and not rebetzin. Why? Because each of these words has an immediate connotation to something specific. Rebbetzin is usually the wife of the rabbi in Orthodoxy. Rabba is automatically associated with the Reform or Conservative movements. At "Hadar" they really don't want any affiliation. Language can sometimes be a problematic thing.

Unlike Hadar, the certified women in the Yeshivat Chovevei Torah receive the title maharat, a Hebrew acronym for "Spiritual Halachic Teacher in Torah." Again, a matter of language. The Yeshivat Chovevei Torah is located in the Bronx, founded by Rabbi Avi Weiss, who belongs to open Orthodoxy. You cannot not fall in love with Rabbi Weiss – a not-so-young Jew with a warm heart, and a Zionist through and through. Most of his descendants live in Israel, and he visits here several times a year. He himself says that he does not understand how he is able to live abroad. Again, an American paradox.

The yeshiva building is divided into three floors. On the middle floor is a synagogue that is divided equally between men and women. The rabbinic beit midrash is located on the upper floor and the beit midrash for women is on the bottom floor. Their exams are exactly the same, and those who successfully pass them are given rabbinic certification. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel does not recognize ordinations given by Rabbi Weiss because of what was defined as "concerns about his commitment to accepted Jewish law."

The synagogue on the middle floor has four leaders – two Rabbis and two maharats. Prayer is led by men, but women also participate in certain sections, such as the prayer for peace. Women also speak before the congregation and give shiurim (Torah lessons).

When there is a bat mitzvah, the synagogue becomes an event for women, i.e. the men pray in the beit midrash on another floor, and the women run a women's minyan, with the girl reading from the Torah.

Where are we heading?

One matter that cannot be avoided is the question of their attitude towards Israel. The American and Israeli flags were flying together in all the synagogues we visited in Manhattan. Everyone loves the State of Israel very much; they all want it to prosper and understand that they, too, need a strong Jewish state. Many of them have relatives who live in Israel. Without a doubt, they know us much better than we know them. They are aware of what is going on here, they hurt when we hurt, they are happy when we are happy, and, in general, it is clear that they care much more about us than we care about them.

Even so, their attitude towards Israel does not mean that they automatically support every move made by the Israeli government. Naturally, the Manhattan communities are very liberal, and the more left-wing they are, so they have more tense relations with Israel.

Even though we declared New York as "the most Jewish city in the world," it is still a minority in a non-Jewish world. It is very clear that New York Jews live with a minority awareness. This means that they see a constant need to strengthen the democratic elements of the existing system, and most are closer to the Democratic Party, which supposedly cares for minorities. Even when they look at Israel, they express greater concern for the minorities here and, therefore, show more support for the liberal sides of Israeli society. The rise of the new government in Israel several months ago caused many concerns across the ocean, but they have drawn encouragement from the widespread protest against the legal reform.

Three more points are related to their attitude towards Israel. One is the issue of donations. An impressive building sits in the heart of Manhattan – the Federation of New York. This is a kind of mega-organization that raises most donations in the Jewish world – about 250 million Dollars a year. Some 30% of this money goes to various organizations, institutions, and programs in Israel. They explain the fact that most of their donations are directed to organizations on the left-liberal side in Israel by saying that the right-conservative side has been in power for the longest period of time and, therefore, receives government budgets. Is this true? Good question.

Another point regarding Israel is the question of the younger generation. The older members of the communities, organization leaders, and rabbis are, as we said, very pro-Israel. But it's slightly different with the younger generation. Some of them have developed hostility towards Israel and do not want to be put in the same boat with what sometimes looks, in world media and social networks, like a dark and racist place. The leaders of American Jewry are very concerned about this estrangement and try to fight it, but not always successfully. By the way, Rabbi Ingber's community responded in an uproar, when about five years ago he decided to hang the Israeli flag into the synagogue. The community rebelled and some demanded that the blue and white flag be removed. Ingber did not give in – and dozens of members left the community.

The community grew, overflowing in the building, and Ingber found a creative solution, something that just thinking about it makes many Jews shudder – the large church across the street, which is closed on Saturdays. The prayers themselves are a kind of mix between Buddha, Carlebach, and Bruce Springsteen, combined with dancing and musical instruments.

The third point, the one they talk about with deep shock, is the issue of the Women of the Wall. For all Jews in Manhattan, including the Orthodox, the attack against the Women of the Wall every Rosh Chodesh is a punch in the gut. What barely reaches the headlines here and is of no interest to most Israelis, is perceived by them as an antisemitic event. They do not understand how Jews can prevent Jewish women from praying as they wish, at the holiest site for the Jewish People.

One of the most impressive Orthodox synagogues in Manhattan is the Jewish Center, and as its name suggests – it is not just a synagogue, but a Jewish community center. It is a nine-story building that houses a huge and magnificent synagogue, as well as rooms for community events, kindergartens, a basketball court, and a swimming pool. Some call it "Shul and Full."

On Shabbat, apart from the main hall, prayers are held upstairs, intended for young, single men and women. The goal is clear: matchmaking. When the risk of assimilation lurks, Jewish men and women must be brought together. The kiddush at the end of the prayers is also split – the main congregation below, the singles upstairs.

The community rabbi, Rabbi Yosie Levine, told us about a challenge he has to deal with all the time. When there is a really successful family in the community, one that participates in events and is generally involved in social leadership, they are often very attached to Zionism and end up immigrating to Israel. The community has to deal with this paradox; losing its most successful members.

What is the risk – antisemitism or assimilation?

Strict security is ensured at the entrance to each of the large synagogues and Jewish centers; much stricter even than what we Israelis are used to. In the Jewish Center, for example, two guards stand at the entrance, while a security officer wearing a protective vest secures the building through a control center and security cameras operating day and night. The fear is that these places are targeted and could be the focus of an antisemitic attack. Even so, as stated above, Jews walk the streets of New York freely and adorn distinct Jewish symbols. There is no need to remove one's kippah in the street, as is sometimes necessary in other cities of the world. How do these two standpoints not clash? It could be that the security is also a shock reaction to the attack on the Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, in which 11 community members were murdered, and also because Americans like a bit of action.

But the matter of antisemitism does not stop there. Leaders of all large Jewish communities are working together to fight a phenomenon that raises its ugly head from time to time. For example, after several local antisemitic incidents, the New York Federation helped set up a neighborhood watch in the areas where the largest Hassidic sects live in Brooklyn.

The one who is not particularly bothered by antisemitism is the executive vice president of the OU. According to him, at every meeting of community leaders, this topic takes up a significant part of the discussion, but in the end, there are very few incidents, if you consider numbers on a long-term basis. What does worry him a lot more is the number of people lost to the Jewish People due to assimilation – a huge number that some call the "silent Holocaust," compared to the paltry number of people murdered in antisemitic incidents over the years.

Exile or Diaspora?

So far we have talked about Manhattan, the beating heart of New York, but we must remember that the Big Apple has other boroughs and, as we know, some of them are home to huge Jewish communities that are very different from those in Manhattan. The Hassidic communities are located in the Brooklyn area, a neighborhood that looks completely different from Manhattan. Here there are no skyscrapers, and everything looks more like the American dream. Single-family homes, with very green grass and private driveways.

In general, the Jewish empire that exists in New York is very impressive. This, of course, is not the first time that the Jewish People have built themselves beautiful centers in the Diaspora. Some 2,500 years ago the kingdom of Judah was exiled to Babylon, and within in a short time the exiles established a glorious Jewish community. So glorious, that when it became possible to return to the Land of Israel, many of them chose to stay where they were, on the rivers of Babylon – to sit, to cry, and to remember Zion. Even later, during the Golden Age in Spain, Jews enjoyed a strong and prosperous exile, were close to kings and rulers, and created a tremendous religious culture with philosophers and scholars. It all ended with the Inquisition and expulsion from Spain.

While visiting the Chabad Center, known as 770, we toured the adjacent museum that displays the history of Hassidism, from its days in Eastern Europe to its migration to the US. The Hassid who guided us explained at length how the glorious movement arrived on the new continent. It was the previous brand rebbe, father-in-law of the well-known Lubavitcher rebbe, who after suffering intense hardships in Russia, including a time in prison, decided he had to escape. "And where does a Jew flee to, of course? To the largest Jewish city in the world – Warsaw," the guide told us. It was impossible to not think back to Warsaw of the 1930s, the capital of the Jewish world, which within a few years had become its largest Jewish cemetery.

Is New York of 2023 not Warsaw of 1933? But the word exile, which was repeated in the previous paragraphs and is quite clear and understandable to Israelis, evokes negative feelings in some US Jews. To them, they are not exiled Jews but prefer the name Jews of the Diaspora or World Jewry.

One of the special communities in the US is that of the Sephardi Jews, mainly those tracing their roots to Aleppo, Syria. Located in Brooklyn and very different from all other Jewish communities, its members are Orthodox, very conservative, but not ultra-Orthodox. Somewhere between Shas and the traditional secular Jews in Israel. In their community the structure of the synagogue is very similar to synagogues in Israel: a clear separation between women and men, and it is understood that women do not take an active part in any part of the prayer.

And again, something that can probably only be found in the US. Meet Dr. Mijal Bitton, a member of the respected Syrian Sephardic community. In a way that seems almost impossible, Bitton combines liberalism and conservatism; a connection to tradition while looking forward to the future. How far forward? Several years ago she received an offer: Come head an Orthodox community in Manhattan. Bitton founded a community that is mainly intended for Orthodox youngsters. Did we mention matchmaking? Every weekend she packs her bags and moves to an apartment in Manhattan, where she spends her weekends near the community.

Dr. Bitton, a member of the respected Syrian Sephardi community, combines liberalism and conservatism in a way that is possible only in the US. One day she received an offer: Come head an Orthodox community in Manhattan.

Although Dr. Bitton is not a rabbi, she is the head of the community in every sense. There is no other rabbi. Although the minyan is gender-separate, she teaches lessons and gives sermons, and actively participates in prayers, in the parts that are permitted according to Halachah. What is very impressive in the community, beyond, of course, everything that is known about the wealth and the affluent members of the community, is the "team spirit." There, there are no first-class American Jews and second-class American Jews.

What will happen to the next generation?

All streams of Jewish communities are troubled by concerns of the next generation. The word "assimilation" is floating in the air. Of course, not everyone is afraid of intermarriage. The Reform and Conservative movements accept couples where one partner is not Jewish, but they also ask themselves if their children or grandchildren will feel any connection to Judaism, or if they will fully assimilate into the US culture.

When referring to American Jewry, there is a population group that needs to be treated separately, and we must ask what can be learned from its behavior and characteristics in regard to the other groups, and perhaps about us here in the Middle East. These are the Israelis who left Israel for America, known in Hebrew as Yordim (literally, going down, because they left Israel), and for those who don't like this word – we can call them the Israeli Americans. This group is different from all those around it. Truth be told, it is pretty obvious. As we said – Israelis, even if they have been living in the US for 20 years.

Perhaps the most difficult and shocking data for Israelis in America is an assimilation rate of 80-90% among second and third-generation "yordim." This is a number that shocks everyone who hears this.

Why is this happening? It's quite simple. To be a Jew in Israel, you really don't have to do anything. Whether you like it or not, life here envelops you in Judaism – from Zionism, through the Jewish calendar, holidays, and vacations, to the Hebrew language. You never need to enter a synagogue even once in your life, and still remain Jewish. Therefore, when those Israelis come to America, they have no need to belong to a community that is generally based in the synagogue. "If I didn't go to a synagogue in Israel, why would I suddenly start going to a synagogue in New York?" the Israeli asks himself.

And so, when one has no belonging to the community, that "yored" is still Israeli and still Jewish, and usually still Zionist, but the next generation goes to a public school and then to college. He lives in a non-Jewish environment and naturally has a high chance of meeting a non-Jewish spouse. And if not him, then his grandchild. This is a huge tragedy that goes almost unnoticed.

The Israelis we met, who have been living in the US for about 20 years, but feel completely Israeli, describe exactly this experience. "After four years, I realized that there is no Zionism without Judaism," one of them told us candidly. For her at least the penny dropped at an early stage, for others it is often too late.

As expected, assimilation rates are also very high among the Reform and Conservative communities – about 60-70%. Only among the Orthodox are the rates lower and somewhat acceptable.

How do you keep in touch?

A visit on Shabbat Eve to the ultra-liberal Bnai Yeshurun synagogue, known as BJ in the US, left me, a hardcore Orthodox Jew, with a harsh impression. "Idol worshipping" and "Father, what did they do to you" were sentences that ran through my mind.

The experience is very strange. On the one hand, liturgy that I know very well and can easily sing, on the other hand – it's not mine at all, and I don't belong here. What was there? Male and female cantors, of course with a sound system, standing facing the congregation with their backs to the open ark. On the side is an orchestra of three musicians that accompanies the prayers. At some point they start dancing in a big circle, men and women, girls and boys, all together. They also change certain parts of the prayer to those that they believe are more suitable to the spirit of the times.

Still, after the shock and stomachache, I start to think – there are hundreds of people here who chose to come to the synagogue on Friday evening. They could have gone out to a movie, a good restaurant, or just hung out in front of the TV. But no, every week they come to pray, to this synagogue, and for them, this is their connection to the Jewish People. So, are these religious trends, which have almost no standing here in Israel, a solution that can be accepted on the other side of the ocean, even if only for the purpose of keeping a Jewish ember alight, in a place where it is very easy to extinguish?

The journey to American Jewry opens one's eyes and hearts, and raises many questions – about us and about them – and also about the relationship between us, and whether what suits them suits us, and vice versa. And personally, it is strange, and also a little saddening, to discover that only near the end of the fourth decade of my life, I suddenly discover half of my people – my brethren.

About 150 years ago, the Jewish People split in two directions – one (and as mentioned, a very small part at first) chose to go east to Palestine, and another chose to travel west to America. The first question that arises is to what extent will these two communities, which today constitute the main sectors of the Jewish people, continue to be connected in future generations. And the second question is: evolution, as we know, believes in the mechanism of natural selection. The successful part in terms of survivability and culture continues on and survives, while those who don't – don't. Will natural selection wipe out one of the major currents of Judaism today?

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post New York Mix: Rediscovering Judaism in the Big Apple appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

A delegation of 14 rabbis representing different Jewish denominations in the United States met with senior members of the Israeli government Thursday. 

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

The delegation of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition represented hundreds of leaders of Reform, Conservative and Orthodox communities, who support the continued relationship with Israel and Zionism. 

The organization is headed by Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt, who was also invited with his colleagues to visit the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain prior to arriving in Israel to learn more about the impact of the Abraham Accords. 

"We received a very warm welcome and saw first-hand the fruits of the Abraham Accords, about which we will tell our colleagues and communities when we return home," he said. 

In Israel, the delegation met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, and Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu. 

Weinblatt told Israel Hayom that they decided to meet with Eliyahu, a Religious Zionist Party MK, despite some opposition back home.

"We know that there are those who call for a boycott of Israeli lawmakers and support a reassessment of relations, but we feel that now more than ever is the time to talk and meet. This is the time for dialogue. We do not want to add division and differences of opinion, but to heal them, and the way to do this is through open dialogue and honesty, and express our concerns and understand Israel better," he said. 

A statement by Eliyahu's office confirmed the meeting with the ZRC delegation but refrained from mentioning that it included reform rabbis, including female ones. 

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Reform, Conservative rabbis meet with Religious Zionist Party minister appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

In opposition to the conversion reform spearheaded by Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau announced this week he would be taking full control of Israel's conversion apparatus.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

According to the reform – the details of which are expected to be published on Wednesday – the rabbis of cities would be able to establish conversion courts. However, Lau, who is the head of the Great Rabbinical Court, said he will personally overlook every case of conversion in the country. 

In a letter to the civil service commissioner, he said that according to the law, "the conversion system in the State of Israel will operate according to Jewish law and will be overlooked by the president of the Great [Rabbinical] Court."

He also noted that over the years, the president of the Great Rabbinical Court appointed the head of the conversion mechanism to implement the halachic (Jewish law) guidelines in the conversion system.

The letter also said that due to the end of the term of the latest head of the conversion system, "and the extensive halachic responsibility that rests on the president [Lau], he has no choice but to assume this responsibility himself."

"The president intends to be required for every question, small or big, and to closely monitor all the conversion procedures in the system," the letter said. 

A month ago, Lau has sent a harshly-worked letter to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett protesting plans to promote a reformed mechanism of conversion to Judaism.

"If the conversion reforms are implemented, it will split the Jewish people, who in the future will have to grapple with the question 'Who is Jewish?', whom they can marry or – heaven forbid – not marry, a terrible situation of two states for two peoples, a split Judaism rather than a united one," he said in the letter.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Chief rabbi to take over conversion system appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Israeli politics were in an uproar Wednesday after Israel Hayom published a draft of Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana's proposed reforms to current law on the process of conversion to Judaism, which would recognize conversions that are not approved by the Chief Rabbinate.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

According to the draft bill obtained by Israel Hayom, despite Kahana's commitment that his proposed reforms would maintain the authority of the Chief Rabbinate to oversee the conversion process, the bill actually cancels the Chief Rabbinate's authorities in the matter and proposes that a new system be established to handle conversions, which will be conducted by city rabbis. This would allow each city rabbi to rule on the required standards for conversion.

The proposed reforms also set easier criteria for conversions conducted by city rabbis.

The Religious Zionist Party issued a statement responding to the proposed changes: "The details revealed today about the conversion law that Matan Kahana is preparing and the internal communications in his ministry demonstrate that Kahana is fooling the rabbis when he tells them that his reforms will uphold the status of the Chief Rabbinate in ruling in matters of conversion, and that conversion will be supervised by the rabbinate.

"Based on what the minister's representatives are saying, it turns out that the truth is utterly differently. The bill Kahana plans to present to the Knesset completely eradicates the authority of the Chief Rabbinate, and completely privatizes conversion in Israel and opens the door to Reform and Conservative conversions," the party said.

The statement from the Religious Zionist Party went on: "The reports indicate that Kahana, who apparently fears [Labor MK] Gilad Kariv, isn't even trying to use the bill to close the holes that the High Court of Justice poked in conversion matters and make the minimum decree that Israel will recognize government-supervised conversions only. Thus, Kahana will allow Reform and Conservative conversions to be recognized, something that will seriously hurt the unity of the people and dupe the converts. We call on Minister Kahana to step back from his intention of dismantling government-run conversion and tearing the people apart."

MK Shlomo Karhi (Likud) said, "Under the table, Minister Kahana is selling Judaism to the Reformists. He is breaking down the fence of kashruth … and now he wants to break down Judaism's last line of defense and mix Israel in with other nations. He will be remembered for this."

Chairman of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, MK Itamar Ben-Gvir, said, "Kahana is allowing Reform [Jews] to conduct 'express' conversions, thus diving the public, hurting Jewish tradition, and what's worse, leading to polarization and rifts in Israeli society. This isn't a reform that will move us forward, but rather a primitive policy wrapped up in empty slogans that goes against Jewish law."

Kahana's staff rejected the criticism, saying that the bill had been through multiple drafts and the current one would also see alterations.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Religious politicians up in arms over draft conversion reform bill appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Thousands of Haredi Jews gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Friday to protest against the egalitarian movement Women of the Wall, whose members called for a demonstration at the fraught holy site.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Police set up metal barricades and deployed in large numbers to hold back the mostly male protesters, who blew whistles and occasionally surged forward only to be pushed back. The women carried empty mantles used to cloak Torah scrolls to protest the prohibition on bringing the scrolls themselves into the women's section.

Anat Hoffman, the founder of the group, said they are "fighting for equality and religious pluralism and justice."

"We cannot read from the Torah in the women's section in 2021," she said. "Why not? Why the hell not?"

MK Itamar Ben Gvir approached the barricades with his entourage and argued with one of the women shouting, "don't harm the Western Wall."

He left minutes later, as supporters of the women replied, "Ben Gvir, go home!"

Earlier this week, the group announced that it planned to protest at the holy site against a ban that prohibits women from publicly reciting the Torah at the compound, carrying 70 empty Torah scrolls.

"We are discriminated against and excluded in the holiest place for Jews," Yochi Rappeport, director of the Women of the Wall, said. "All that is left for us to do is hold empty Torah scroll covers to protest the terrible injustice."

The move garnered criticism from Haredi Knesset members, who called on followers to arrive at the Western Wall en masse to prevent the "desecration of the remnant of our Temple."

Commotions at the Western Wall between the Women of the Wall and Haredim are not uncommon, as the ultra-Orthodox community has long opposed the group's activities, such as women wearing tefillin or praying with a Torah scroll.

However, tensions have escalated in recent months after the activists' monthly prayers at the site were joined by Labor MK Gilad Kariv, who was the executive director of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism before becoming a lawmaker.

The Sephardi ultra-Orthodox Shas party claimed that the protest was an attempt by Kariv, a reform rabbi, to bring a Torah scroll into the Western Wall compound.

On Thursday, President Isaac Herzog called on Kariv to refrain from attending the protest in an effort to "minimize unnecessary tensions."

The thought of confrontations between an elected official and the public at the Western Wall, the holiest place to Jews, causes me great anguish, Herzog said in a statement. He called on all parties to "exhibit restraint and mutual respect in the hope of finding the path to peace within our nation."

Herzog also instructed Eyal Shviki, director-general of the President's Residence, to invite all parties involved in the commotions for a meeting with the president in order to find a solution.

Kariv accepted Herzog's request and agreed not to attend Friday's protest.

"I thank the president for his efforts to prevent an unprecedented clash at the Western Wall compound," he said in a statement. "Once again, it's clear that the Women of the Wall and the non-Orthodox movements are the side that believes in compromise and negotiations."

With the government having passed the state budget, both ultra-Orthodox lawmakers and the Women of the Wall understand that the proposal to expand the Western Wall compound in a way that creates a permanent pluralistic prayer section is back on the table.

The bill was approved in 2016, but was not finalized due to pressure from Haredi MKs.

Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!

The post Police hold back crowds of ultra-Orthodox protesters as Women of the Wall demonstrate appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The bevy of Instagram stars, former Victoria's Secret models, including Alessandra Ambrosio, and Hollywood actors like Ryan Phillipe, Ed Westwick, and Wilmer Valderrama were invited to Saudi Arabia over the weekend to promote the kingdom's most eye-popping effort yet at showcasing the dramatic changes taking hold in this country, where more than half of its 20 million citizens are under 25 years old.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

The efforts are aimed at boosting the economy while polishing Saudi Arabia's image abroad and appealing to the young. It's a staggering pivot from just three years ago, when religious police would storm restaurants playing music and harass women in malls for showing their face or wearing red nail polish.

Now, the kingdom has movie theaters and concerts. Women are allowed to drive and travel without male permission, and they can sit with men, unsegregated at restaurants. The kingdom began issuing tourist visas this year. Female visitors are not required to wear the conservative black-flowing robe known as the abaya and headscarves in public.

At Riyadh airport, a booth welcomes tourists with pamphlets on etiquette in Saudi Arabia, labeled "Our Code of Conduct."

"Both men and women are asked to dress modestly in public, avoiding tight fitting clothing," it explains. "Women should cover their shoulders and knees in public."

Apparently, not all the V.I.P. guests flown to Saudi Arabia on private jets got the memo – some opted for stomach-baring bralettes under open coats.

The blast of glossy social media posts helped draw attention to the visit's purpose – to promote MDL Beast, a three-day musical extravaganza in Riyadh that drew more than 130,000 visitors on its first day alone, according to the General Entertainment Authority. Ticket prices started at just 75 riyals ($20), but organizers were eager to ensure a big turnout so tickets were also handed out for free to some government employees.

More than 70 world-renowned DJs were invited to perform across five stages to the backdrop of surrealist performances – including one with a woman in a skintight sky blue leotard writhing from a hot air balloon over a crowd of young Saudi men.

Men and women cut loose and danced at the unprecedented rave-like event. Thousands waited for hours to get in.

A popular social media account, Diet Prada, named and shamed some of the celebrities present, accusing them of allegedly accepting six-figure sums for attendance and geo-tagged posts to "rehabilitate the image of Saudi Arabia."

Earlier this year, hip-hop star Nicki Minaj pulled out of performing in the kingdom over concerns about women's rights, gay rights, and freedom of expression.

When asked by The Associated Press, the entertainment authority that licensed MDL Beast said some people had been compensated for promoting the event, but denied such high sums were paid to individuals.

While the social changes ushered in by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have been sweeping, so too is his crackdown on criticism and political expression. The prince has overseen the country's war in Yemen, which has led to the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and the arrest of women's rights activists, clerics and, writers.

He's also drawn international condemnation for the killing of Saudi writer and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, slaughtered by Saudi agents inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last year.

The incident tarnished Prince Mohammed's international image though his popularity is undeniable at home.

"The changes are really incredible and, God willing, we are heading toward even more," said Mona Hassan, a mother out with her grown daughters at a family-friendly carnival in Diriyah, near Riyadh. "We are with Mohammed bin Salman wherever he takes us and whatever happens."

The fully veiled Hassan said she wasn't raised on this kind of entertainment, but has no problem with her kids enjoying it.

Saad al-Otaibi, who traveled 300 kilometers (186 miles) from Al Duwadimi to attend the Diriyah festival, wanted to ensure it was family-friendly and affordable before bringing his wife and kids.

"All the changes are positive, not negative," he said. "But one comment is that the prices are expensive," he said, repeating a refrain others have quipped about on Twitter.

The Diriyah festival, which opened a month ago, has included sporting events like the world's heavyweight boxing championship.

Families skated on an ice rink, ziplined across the park, ride on a Ferris wheel and played galactic bowling. At the other end of the site, a younger crowd of Saudi elites smoked shisha – the bubbling waterpipe – and dined at pop-up restaurants where prices range from $100 to $1,200 a person for a meal.

Couples sat on park benches under the stars, listening to a Saudi musician playing the oud, a stringed instrument popular in the Middle East.

"No one could have imagined everything that's happening," said Abdullah Abulkheir, a 28-year-old Saudi visiting Diriyah. "We never thought we could reach this point in 30 years' time. It's been a huge transformation in a short period of time."

Not all are happy with the crown prince's style of governance or the changes. Yet Saudi clerics, many of whom had spoken out in the past against these changes, appear unwilling or unable to publicly criticize the moves. Those who dared have been detained and their social media accounts shuttered. In this absolute monarchy, the king holds final say on major decisions.

Only one major incident has so far marred the festivities. Last month, a Yemeni man stabbed two Spanish dancers and a guard at a live show in Riyadh. State media reported this week that he had allegedly acted on the orders of a senior al-Qaida leader in Yemen, according to evidence submitted during his trial.

Still, it's clear most Saudis are ready for the changes.

"I don't feel like I need to travel abroad like before because everything is here now," Sarah Muteiri, 28, said. "We want these things and more."

The post Saudi Arabia cuts loose with bevy of models and a rave appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The scale of the protests, in which nearly 100 people have died since Tuesday, has taken the authorities by surprise. Two years after the defeat of Islamic State, security is better than it has been in years, but corruption is rampant, wrecked infrastructure has not been rebuilt and jobs remain scarce.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's 17-point plan was the result of an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday night and comes after days of offering only vague reform promises.

It includes increased subsidized housing for the poor, stipends for the unemployed as well as training programs and small loans initiatives for unemployed youth.

The families of those killed during demonstrations this week will also get payouts and care usually granted to members of the security forces killed during war.

"Amid all of this, I swear to God that my only concern is for the casualties," Abdul Mahdi said during the cabinet meeting, according to state TV.

The streets of the capital were quiet so far on Sunday. Protests have tended to gather steam later in the day.

The clashes shattered a day of relative calm on Saturday after authorities lifted a curfew and traffic moved normally in the center of Baghdad. Hundreds of security personnel were deployed in the streets.

The demonstrations began in Baghdad on Tuesday but have spread quickly spread to other cities mainly in the south.

In the city of Nasiriya, where at least 18 people were killed during the week, police fired live rounds at demonstrators on Saturday. Twenty-four people were wounded in the clashes overnight, including seven policemen, according to security, hospital and morgue sources.

Protesters also torched the headquarters of several political parties in Nasiriya, police said. These included the headquarters of the powerful Dawa party that dominated Iraq's government from 2003 until 2018 elections.

Violence also broke out again in Diwaniya, another city south of Baghdad killing at least one person, police said.

The cabinet's new plan may not be enough to placate protesters and the politicians who've sided with them.

Opposition to the government among parliamentary blocs who have begun boycotting legislative meetings is already brewing, adding pressure on Abdul Mahdi and his cabinet to step down.

Influential Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has a mass popular following and controls a large chunk of parliament, demanded on Friday that the government resign and snap elections be held. At least one other major parliamentary grouping allied itself with Sadr against the government.

But powerful political parties which have dominated Iraqi politics since the 2003 US-led invasion and toppling of dictator Saddam Hussein have not indicated they are willing to relinquish the institutions they control.

In eastern Baghdad on Friday and Saturday, police snipers shot at demonstrators and several people were wounded, Reuters reporters said.

Security services said the violence killed 8 members of the security forces and wounded more than 1,000, state television reported.

At least 95 demonstrators have died across Iraq, according to a Reuters tally based on police and medical sources. Iraq's semi-official High Commission for Human Rights had put the toll at 99 dead since protests broke out on Tuesday.

The unrest is the deadliest Iraq has seen since the declared defeat of Islamic State in 2017 and has shaken Abdul Mahdi's year-old government. Iraqis fear the violence will continue to escalate.

The violence continued as people began journeying across southern Iraq for the Shiite pilgrimage of Arbaeen, which is expected to attract 20 million worshippers.

The post Death toll in Iraqi protests reaches 100 as 18 more killed appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

The decision was announced Thursday in response to a legal challenge by non-Orthodox streams that called the exclusion of non-Orthodox rabbis discriminatory.

Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter

Under the compromise reached with the petitioners, families of fallen soldiers would get to decide whether the ceremony would be officiated by a military rabbi, the default option, or whether to have it run by religious figures from other Jewish streams.

The new rules mean that Conservative and Reform rabbis, including women, will have the same status as Orthodox rabbis in military funerals even though they are not officially recognized by the state.

However, the military will still be allowed to veto a family's request if their choice of a rabbi would drastically change the burial procedures or undermine the sanctity of the chosen cemetery.

The post Israeli military to allow non-Orthodox rabbis to officiate funerals appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.