As the epicenter of world religion, the Holy Land provides an endless source of religion-based features. I’ve focused mostly on Judaism: the fraught relation between religion and state in Israel, tensions between the secular and ultra-Orthodox and how that has often created a rift with the Jewish Diaspora. Here is a selection of some of the stories and features I have written.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — In an unmarked villa, nestled amid homes in an upscale Dubai neighborhood, a congregation prays in the first fully functioning synagogue in the Arabian Peninsula in decades. Though its members keep its precise location…
JERUSALEM (AP) — The trigger for Israel’s unprecedented repeat election touches upon one of the major fault lines in Israeli society — the role of the growing ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in modern life. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s prospective government collapsed…
JERUSALEM (AP) — Three years after he narrowly missed out on becoming prime minister of Israel, Isaac Herzog says he looks forward to becoming the “prime minister of the Jewish people” in his new role as chairman of the Jewish…
JERUSALEM (AP) — A string of protests by ultra-Orthodox Jewish activists against Israel’s compulsory military service has paralyzed Jerusalem in recent weeks in what their leaders had hoped would be a show of strength by the traditionally insular society. Instead,…
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli government froze a long-overdue plan Sunday to open a mixed-gender prayer area at Jerusalem’s Western Wall, a major policy reversal that infuriated the liberal streams of Judaism that represent most Jews in the United States….
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis are finding a new campaign by their crusading health minister hard to swallow: in the name of proper nutrition, he has gone on the warpath against the nation’s beloved Hanukkah tradition of gorging on sugar-laden, deep-fried,…
JERUSALEM (AP) — As the senior representative of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel’s government, Health Minister Yaakov Litzman is unapologetic about the insular lifestyle he advocates, despite irking mainstream Israel and endangering its long-term economic prospects. He insists that shirking compulsory…
JERUSALEM (AP) — A quiet revolution is arising inside the insular world of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community — chipping away at the ghetto walls its leaders have erected to protect against what they see as the dangers of secularism. More…
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli government’s decision to allow non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at Jerusalem’s Western Wall is a major breakthrough for the country’s long-marginalized liberal streams and their powerful supporters in the United States. But the compromise agreement also highlights…
JERUSALEM (AP) — The formation of Benjamin Netanyahu’s new coalition government has cleared the way for Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties to return to power after two years in the opposition. This religious resurgence could have deep implications as the ultra-Orthodox seek…
PETAH TIKVA, Israel (AP) — At first glance, the multi-tiered jungle of concrete off a major central Israeli highway does not appear unusual in this city of bland high-rises. But the burgeoning towers are groundbreaking when you consider its future…
BEIT SHEMESH, Israel (AP) — After a contentious mayoral election between secular and ultra-Orthodox rivals, this deeply divided city has become a flashpoint for a religious struggle that is threatening to tear Israel apart. Claiming the election was stolen, secular…
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli soldier was walking home on a busy Jerusalem street when suddenly a car stopped next to him, and men inside spat upon him and hurled insults, trash and water bottles. When the assailants stepped out,…
JERUSALEM (AP) — As Israel’s new government takes shape, the country’s powerful ultra-Orthodox Jewish political parties seem poised to find themselves in unfamiliar territory — the parliamentary opposition — instead of their traditional seats around the Cabinet table. Prime Minister…