It occured to me that I am quite ignorant as to whether or not the state of Israel makes laws that prohibit things that are forbidden by the Jewish religion.
Or, do they have a separation between religion and government like the US (sort of) has? Or something in-between?
One of our Israeli members will no doubt be along later to provide a better answer than I can, but in the meantime. . .
The short answer is that yes, the state of Israel does make laws that prohibit things that are forbidden under Jewish law. So, to an even greater degree, do Israeli municipalities. However, that’s not the same thing as saying that anything that’s forbidden under Jewish law is forbidden under Israeli law – far from it.
No, there’s no formal principle of separation of religion and government that’s fundamental to Israeli law, primarily because Israel does not have a formal constitution in the sense that the United States does. The Zionist founders of Israel were generally more nationalistic than religiously observant, and Israeli society today continues to reflect the primarily secular nature of its founding. However, the Israeli Knesset has often, either from a sense of obligation to the “Jewish” nature of the state or from political expediency or both, passed laws that make portions of Jewish law the law of the land, or granting to the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate of Israel authority over certain areas of Israeli life, such as marriage and divorce, conversion to Judaism, etc. For example, there is no provision in Israeli law for marriage outside the laws of the various religions recognized by the state. If you’re Jewish, Jewish law (and in particular, Orthodox interpretation of Jewish law) governs. If you’re Christian, Christian religious doctrine regarding marriage obtains. If you’re one and your prospective spouse is the other, you’re out of luck – there’s no provision for mixed marriage. However, if you undergo a civil marriage in another country that does provide for it, such a marriage will be recognized as valid in Israel.
The Knesset has also passed measures funding certain religious organizations with state funds, or establishing state bureaucracies for administering certain aspects of Jewish law (kashrut inspections, etc.). Yeshiva students have also been exempted from mandatory military service. Some of these laws have been changed in recent years, to the anger and dismay of Orthodox religious groups. There seems to be a widening rift between religious and secular elements in Israeli society these days, with a majority preferring to continue living essentially secular lives in a state that is at least in part intertwined with their nominal religion, and a relatively small but very active and vocal minority who want to increase the degree to which civil law is informed and controlled by religious law (i.e., mandated closing of businesses and public accommodations on Shabbat, prohibitions on the sale of non-kosher foodstuffs, requirement that all restaurants be certified kosher, etc.). Many observers seem to believe that while the current government is the least sympathetic in years to the demands of the religious minority, the need to maintain its support among at least a portion of the religious parties has led it to be very circumspect in its actions in these areas.
Good info, thanks!
What are some other areas in which the Knesset has passed religious law?
Can you order cheese on your burger at the Tel-Aviv McDonald’s? Can you buy pork at the Jaifa A & P? Can you keep your business open past sundown on the Sabbath?
Also, does Israel grant Christians (or other non-Jews) some leeway in areas of Jewish law? For example, can you keep your business open past sundown on the Sabbath if you’re a Christian, but not a Jew?