The Constitutional Crisis in Israel: Religious Dimension

Many observers call Israel’s current constitutional crisis the biggest political challenge for the state since its establishment in 1948. Both parties—the coalition government and the opposition, as well as their supporters—are extremely polarized, with little room for compromise. While the major cause of the crisis (the reform of Israel’s Supreme Court) seems to be purely secular, a deeper look reveals a variety of religious aspects to the crisis.

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Interview: Ori Aronson on Religion and the Constitutional Crisis in Israel

Ori Aronson is an associate professor of law at the Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Law, where he also serves as the deputy director of the Menomadin Center for Jewish and Democratic Law. He is a scholar of constitutional law and theory, courts and judicial decisionmaking. Much of his research concerns the institutional conditions of adjudication and the organization of legal power more broadly, with a focus on the ways legal systems accommodate, reflect, and challenge cultural and ideological difference. During the 2023–24 academic year Ori is a visiting scholar with the Harvard Center for Jewish Studies. Ori Aronson was interviewed by Dmytro Vovk.

This interview was recorded before the first law to limit the Israeli Supreme Court was adopted by the Knesset on 24 July 2023. The text has been lightly edited.

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The Impact of Israeli Judicial Reform on Freedom of/from Religion

Moshe Jaffe is a constitutional law adjunct professor at the Academic Center of Law and Science in Israel and an adjunct professor at Cardozo School of Law.

Introduction

Judicial reform proposed in 2023 and promoted by the Israeli government has led to turmoil in society. While some support the reform and others oppose it, the offer of this reform has led to extensive public discourse.

One concern of reform opponents is that the reform will turn Israel into a Halakhic (Jewish-law-based) state. This post challenges this concern and argues that the proposed judicial reform, independent of whether or not it passes, will not have a real effect on the relationship between religion and the state in Israel.

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