Israel needs separation of religion and government

Jewish law is a burden.

Jewish law forbids many things and requires many others. For instance, Jewish law, called halacha, forbids eating shellfish, wearing mixed linen and wool, performing work on Saturday, and men shaving their sideburns. It also requires fasting on a number of a different days throughout the year, dressing modestly, wrapping tefillin, and checking menstruation with a special cloth. Those are just a few examples; halacha covers every aspect of a person's life (and death) with restrictions and requirements.

I choose to take on that burden. This is the way of life that I grew up with. This is the way of life that my ancestors practiced for thousands of years. It's a way of life that I find can infuse everyday moments with a sense of perspective, tradition, and meaning.

All of that meaning melts away as soon as people are forced into it.

The Charedi (Ultra-Orthodox) parties in the Knesset are pushing to enshrine more and more halacha into Israeli civil law, in a major threat to Israeli citizens' civil rights.

Israel has long struggled with separation between religion and government. Defining itself as both a Jewish state and a liberal democracy, Israel balances on a thin line when it comes to religious law; while officially Israel does not enforce religious law as civil law, in certain areas it de facto does, such as in the case of marriage. Civil marriage does not exist in Israel, requiring couples to go through a religious route, meaning that non-traditional marriages (such as interfaith marriages or same-sex marriages) cannot legally take place within Israel, and the participants have to obtain a marriage certificate from out of the country in order for their marriage to be recognized. Another issue is public transport on Saturdays; while not officially illegal, there is very little public transport on Saturdays in Israel, meaning those who do not keep Shabbat are severely limited when it comes to travel.

Even those who consider themselves religious are harmed by over-enforcement of religion. Time and time again, women who want to pray with a Torah scroll at the Kotel (the Western Wall) are harassed, attacked, and assaulted, because some people don't consider that to be appropriate. These are religious women, who are trying to pray with the foundational text of Judaism, at the holiest Jewish site accessible, and yet they are prevented from doing so - in the name of religion.

Religion can be beautiful, meaningful, and impactful. It can also be a weapon.

The vast majority of Israeli citizens are not religious Jews. Aside from the large numbers of non-religious or traditional (but not Orthodox) Jews, at least 20% of the population is Muslim, Christian, or Druze. Writing Jewish religious law into civil law is a blatant violation of the civil rights of non-Jews and Jews alike. The right to religious freedom includes freedom from religion; everyone must be free to practice their own religion to the extent that they want, including not at all. Religious freedom ends when it infringes on someone else's rights.

Israel is a Jewish state in that it is located in the ancestral homeland of the Jews, and that it is a refugee state for Jews anywhere in the world. Those are important roles; given history, a place where Jews can always be safe from persecution on account of their religion is monumental and necessary. In the same breath, however, we cannot then turn around and perform persecution on account of religion ourselves.

The diversity of Israel is one of its greatest strengths. People from different faiths, backgrounds, and beliefs mingle in the streets. Despite not (currently) having a path to civil marriage, Tel Aviv is known as the gay capital of the Middle East, Israel being one of the few countries in the region where homosexuality or being transgender is not outright illegal. That diversity builds bridges and provides a basis for understanding and tolerance. Becoming a state ruled by religious law would destroy everything that Israel has managed to become.

Israel must become and remain a state that provides a safe haven for Jews in their ancestral homeland, while at the same time protecting the rights of all of its residents, from the Ultra-Orthodox Jews who cannot be forced to work on Shabbat, to the Muslims who cannot be penalized for fasting during Ramadan, to the gay couples who need to be able to legally marry in their own country. The only path to protecting the rights of all residents is through separating religion and government, and reinforcing the democratic foundation of the State of Israel to ensure civil equality and religious freedom.