Two religiously observant groups of Jews in Israel, the ultra-Orthodox and Religious Zionists, are increasingly acting as political allies. The consequences could be profound.
The Lag BaOmer pilgrimage, in which 45 people died recently, takes place each year to what is believed to be the gravesite of the second-century Talmudic sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
Joyce Dalsheim, University of North Carolina – Charlotte
Authorities have closed schools in some ultra-Orthodox areas of New York. The reasons for apparent noncompliance with public health guidelines are complicated, explains a cultural anthropologist.
Joyce Dalsheim, University of North Carolina – Charlotte
Persecution is central to Jewish collective memory. So when armed police entered ultra-Orthodox areas of Jerusalem to close synagogues due to COVID-19, some residents reacted with fear and suspicion.
The winner of Tuesday’s Israeli election must form a government and tackle four problems that will shape the future of the country and the relations among its citizens and Palestinian non-citizens.
The IDF wants to encourage more women to enlist, but it also wants to encourage Orthodox men, who avoid contact with the opposite sex. How will it manage the conflict?