Together, we'll repair relations between religion and state
A Jewish state without coercion
Israel is a Jewish state – that’s not up for debate
What is up for debate is how much the state gets involved in citizens’ private lives, and at what price.
Couples fly to Cyprus to get married and return to having to prove that they are a family. A product certified under strict Kashrut supervision in Paris does not reach Israeli shelves without making a payment to the Israeli Rabbinate as well – a practice that drives up prices and stifles competition. The waiting list for conversion takes years. 30% of Jewish children in Israel do not study English and mathematics. And the IDF is short 20,000 soldiers.
Jewish identity – yes. Religious coercion – no.
What's the problem?
Judaism belongs to us all, yet the state manages its citizens’ lives according to an arrangement made 78 years ago—one that has not been re-examined since.
The Chief Rabbinate holds a monopoly over marriage, kashrut and conversion, and the result is divisiveness rather than unity. Many couples are forced to marry abroad in order for the state to recognize their union; families go unrecognized in government forms and offices; soldiers and immigrants encounter bureaucratic obstacles on their path to conversion.
Even Shabbat – one of the greatest gifts the Jewish people has given the world – has become a battleground between the religious and the secular. The nationwide ban on public transportation disproportionately harms those without private vehicles, confining them to their homes even when they need to access essential services. Meanwhile, the kashrut bureaucracy – divorced from actual Halacha – blocks access to affordable kosher products and drives up the cost of living for everyone.
At the same time, Israel’s citizens are not treated equally. An entire sector of the population does not perform military service yet benefits from stipends, subsidized daycare, and housing benefits. Institutions that fail to teach a core curriculum are publicly funded, leaving their students without the tools to integrate into the workforce and society. Furthermore, exclusionary policies – ranging from the expanded authority of Rabbinical courts to gender segregation in academia – undermine equality.
What's the solution?
Decentralization instead of coercion. Equal obligations for all.
Matters that can be local will remain local: the character of Shabbat in communities will be determined by balancing its national significance with the unique characteristics of each community: each municipality will decide for itself regarding public transportation on Shabbat, in accordance with its own local identity. Matters that are personal will remain personal: a civil union can be registered with the Ministry of Interior – independent of religion, gender, or sexual orientation – carrying with it full rights and obligations. The religious path remains fully open to those who choose it.
The Chief Rabbinate will not be abolished, but its monopoly will be. We will recognize international kosher certification and restore conversion authority to community rabbis while maintaining Halakhic standards.
And matters that must be equal- will be equal. Those who serve and contribute will receive benefits, those who neither serve nor work will not. Furthermore, non-state schools will not be funded at the public’s expense.
“Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.” (Proverbs 3:17)
Judaism is a religion of Tikkun Olam, not of coercion. Attempts to impose it by force undermine its values and weaken it more than anything else.
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How will we know we've succeeded?
The marriages test
No couple in Israel will have to fly overseas to marry.
The shelf test
Kosher products under supervision overseas will reach Israeli shelves without needing additional approval: competition will increase and prices will drop.
The buses test
Buses will run on Shabbat in local authorities that have decided to do so, in accordance with their character and the wishes of the residents.
The classroom test
Within eight years, all students will study the full core curriculum.
Together, we'll repair relations between religion and state
01
Public Transportation: Local Authorities Decide Based on Their Character
Shabbat in Bnei Brak differs from Shabbat in Haifa or Tel Aviv, and that is perfectly fine. Local authorities should be granted the independence to determine their own character, reflecting the nature of their residents. Each local authority will decide for itself whether to provide urban and intercity public transportation on Shabbat and holidays, without a nationwide ban and without “reverse coercion.” The basic idea is simple: every Israeli should be able to get where they need to go, especially those without a car, particularly when accessing essential services.
02
Civil Unions
We will enact the Civil Unions Law and establish a full, accessible civil pathway for registering partnerships at the Ministry of Interior, granting all the rights and obligations of married couples regardless of religion, gender or sexual orientation. We will amend the Population Registry Law to ensure that the partner of a biological parent is immediately registered as a parent. We will enact the “Forms Law” that mandates that all government and quasi-governmental institutions recognize all family structures. And we will enable ROPA (Recognition of Parentage) while removing bureaucratic barriers in adoption, surrogacy, and registration processes.
03
We’ll break the Rabbinate’s monopoly and open up the Kashrut market
It makes no sense for a product that is kosher for a Jew in New York or Paris – certified under strict international supervision – to be blocked due to bureaucracy unrelated to Halacha. We will recognize international kosher certifications and allow retail chains to stock their shelves with thousands of affordable kosher products.
04
Conversion without queues
Decentralizing the Chief Rabbinate’s authority, reducing bureaucracy, and offering a Zionist solution for immigrants and soldiers: We will support Mamlachti Orthodox conversion conducted in accordance with Halacha while also granting conversion authority to community rabbis. We will establish a tailored pathway for soldiers who were willing to sacrifice their lives for the country and for immigrants who arrived under the Law of Return, maintaining Halachic standards while bypassing the Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly. This is about restoring authority previously held by community rabbis, not privatizing the conversion process.
05
Our Draft Law
Those who serve will receive benefits from the state and those who do not, will not. Look at the Brooklyn Model: there in the United States, no one receives a stipend for Yeshiva study, subsidized daycare, or a subsidized mortgage. We will open three gateways towards integration into and contribution to Israeli society: education, employment, and enlistment. Those who enlist will receive benefits like housing incentives, subsidized rent, tax relief, and daycare subsidies.
06
If it’s not Mamlachti – it’s not at taxpayers’ expense
We will integrate ultra-Orthodox education into the state education system based on a simple principle: public funding will be provided only to institutions that teach the full core curriculum and equip students with the tools to integrate into higher education, the workforce, civic life, and national service – without compromising their way of life or their faith.
07
Equality of rights
Women: We will repeal laws that foster exclusion and discrimination, from the expansion of Rabbinical Court powers to gender segregation in academia. We will provide effective tools to combat get refusal and mandate 50% female representation in senior positions and key decision-making roles.
The LGBT Community: We will enact a Basic Law: Equality that explicitly prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. We will amend the “Interpretation Law” to ensure that statutory prohibitions against discrimination apply to the LGBT community as well. We will legislate a sweeping ban on conversion therapy, replacing the 2022 Ministry of Health directive. We will allocate a dedicated, permanent budget for LGBT community institutions and advance the “Sagi Laws for Equality” legislative package. Alongside this, we will implement the civil unions arrangement (see Section 2 above) which addresses the most painful practical issue: the right to build and be recognized as a family here.
שאלות ותשובות
No. Its monopoly is being curtailed. The Rabbinate will continue to provide religious services to anyone who desires them, but it will no longer be the sole gateway every citizen must pass through to get married, buy a product at the grocery store, or join the Jewish people.
No, not if Bnei Brak doesn't want there to be. That is precisely the point. The decision-making authority on this matter will shift from the Knesset to each local municipality, so the outcome can vary from city to city. Tel Aviv might decide to go ahead with it, while Bnei Brak might decide against it – and no one is forcing anything on anyone.
Many couples are currently forced to fly abroad, pay fees, and navigate bureaucracy simply to gain recognition in the country where they live, serve, work, and pay taxes. A full civil registration process at the Ministry of the Interior would allow any couple in Israel to register their relationship locally and receive the full rights and obligations of married couples.
A product certified by a strict overseas agency does not reach the local market without an additional stamp of approval from the Chief Rabbinate – and sometimes without having its own dedicated production line. This drives up costs, causing many products to stay out of the Israeli market altogether. Automatic recognition of international kosher certification bodies would open up Israel's shelves to thousands of products. Combined with breaking up monopolies and removing import barriers, our goal is a 30% reduction in food prices within three years.
No. The standard remains Halachic, and conversion remains Orthodox. What is changing is who is authorized to perform it: authority previously held by community rabbis is being returned to them, so that the waiting list for conversions is shortened and a prospective convert or soldier does not have to wait for years.
