Because of the probable makeup of the new governing coalition, a number
of reforms that weaken or end the haredi hegemony over religious affairs
are considered likely, including expanding public transportation on
Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath), allowing civil marriage between anyone of
any religion or no religion, and the easing of haredi restrictions in
the conversion process. Haredi political parties have had complete
control over Jewish life cycle events – including marriages, burials,
divorce and conversion – for more than a decade.
Haredim Threaten To Launch A Shadow Religious Affairs System If New Government Doesn’t Comply With Haredi Demands
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
As it seems ever more likely that haredi political parties will not be part of Israel’s new governing coalition, haredi political and religious leaders have begun to lash out in desperation against anyone they hold responsible for their exclusion.
First they threatened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-Beiteinu party and the right wing Zionist Orthodox HaBayit HaYehudi party by claiming that haredi parties would team with Israel’s left of center political parties and support the evacuation of West Bank settlements.
Then haredi journalists (who all answer to a committee of haredi rabbis just as haredi politicians do) called for haredim to boycott products made or grown in West Bank Jewish settlements.
Now haredi politicians have reportedly threatened to establish separate Jewish conversion courts if the new government loosens restrictions on conversions to Judaism that were added by haredi rabbis over the past two decades.
Israeli law gives the country’s chief rabbinate, which has been under complete haredi control for more than a decade, control over conversions to Judaism and bans independent conversion courts. Even so, at least two independent haredi conversion courts now exist – one for a brief amount of time, but the other for many years. The Chief Rabbis have not moved to shut them down.
In addition, at least two recently opened Zionist Orthodox conversion courts exist outside the framework of the Chief Rabbinate. The Chief Rabbinate has not moved against these courts, either.
Because of the probable makeup of the new governing coalition, a number of reforms that weaken or end the haredi hegemony over religious affairs are considered likely, including expanding public transportation on Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath), allowing civil marriage between anyone of any religion or no religion, and the easing of haredi restrictions in the conversion process. Haredi political parties have had complete control over Jewish life cycle events – including marriages, burials, divorce and conversion – for more than a decade.
A haredi source reportedly told the Hebrew language daily paper Maariv that haredim might create a shadow religious affairs system if the new government goes too far in changing the status quo.
“It all depends how far [Yair] Lapid and [Naftali] Bennett take the coalition on the subject of conversion. In such a situation, there will be two states created here. Maybe Lapid wouldn’t have a problem with that, but the haredi public would…It would create an irreparable rift,” the source said.
The co-leader of the Sefardi haredi Shas party, Eli Yishai, wrote on his Facebook page Saturday night that a coalition formed without Shas would be a bitter moment for the State of Israel.
“The 2013 elections will be remembered as the day in which the entire public shunned the traditional and ultra-Orthodox Jews because of their beliefs and views. Kind words cannot sweeten the conflict and the deep rift that was created during the present period, but it will be remembered for many years to come. With raised heads and with pride we will go to the opposition,” Yishai wrote.