Religious services still widely used even in secular communities, Knesset panel told

During a morning Finance Committee debate on funding for religious councils, United Torah Judaism faction chair MK Uri Maklev asked Mitzpeh council head Shimon Peretz to explain how much the local population actually uses religious services. Peretz’s answer surprised some attendees: actual use of religious services was far higher than the number of residents officially defined as religious.

Using Peretz’s figures, Maklev said the discussion highlighted the gap between reality and the public conversation around religion and state. “The people in Israel consume religion,” he said, adding that “millions of citizens use religious services לאורך כל מעגל החיים, throughout every stage of life.” He listed rabbinical services, kashrut supervision, mikvaot, burial services and others, saying they are not sectoral services but services for the entire public.

Maklev argued that for years various groups have tried to portray religious services as a sectarian expense that can be cut, but field data repeatedly show the opposite. “When you check the data in practice, you see that the Israeli public continues to use religious services in large volumes. This is the reality in a Jewish state,” he said. He added that because these services are used by such a broad public, there is no justification for annual budget battles over them, and the state should treat them as part of its core public service system.

At the end of the meeting, the Finance Committee approved the funding criteria for religious councils for 2026. United Torah Judaism said the approval followed a long effort by Finance Committee veteran MK Moshe Gafni with government ministries and the committee to ensure the continued proper functioning of religious councils across the country.