Israel is the Jewish state, but what form should that take? In Israel, religion and state are closely intertwined and Jewish law governs many facets of life, from public transport to marriage and divorce. But the control wielded by the Ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) through the Rabbinate not only excludes non-Orthodox forms of Judaism but also serves to alienate regular Israelis from Judaism itself. For the first time in close to a decade, the Haredim are not in government. What impact will this have on issues of religion and state? What is being done to heal the major divisions between the religious and the secular? And, according to two leading activists in the field, how hopeful should we be about religious pluralism in Israel?
