Democrats Launch Religious Zionism Faction to Promote Liberal Judaism

The Israeli Democrats party has launched a new faction, the "Religious Zionism Headquarters in the Democrats," aimed at advancing liberal Jewish values and secularism in the state. Led by Yaya Fink, the faction announced a series of goals focused on the relationship between religion and state, including dismantling the Chief Rabbinate's monopoly on kosher certification and marriage, integrating liberal Jewish content into the state-religious education system, and increasing funding for organizations that promote liberal Judaism.

Fink stated that reducing religious coercion and separating religion from the state would benefit both. The faction's platform includes proposals to break the Rabbinate's monopoly on marriage by recognizing alternative pathways and to establish an administration within the state-religious education system to incorporate liberal Jewish studies. They also plan to advocate for the implementation of the Western Wall agreement, which aims to create a pluralistic prayer space at the holy site.

Further objectives include appointing representatives with liberal viewpoints to the State Religious Education Council and promoting core curriculum and democracy studies across all educational frameworks, including ultra-Orthodox and state-religious schools. The faction also seeks to establish a national program to combat religious extremism and racism within the religious Zionist education system and expand the budget for the World Jewish Communities administration.

At the event, Democrats chairman Maj. Gen. (res.) Yair Golan emphasized the importance of liberal Judaism, calling it a cornerstone of the struggle for democracy. He argued that separating religion from the state is not an attack on Judaism but a necessary step to save it from extremists, asserting that religion becomes corrupt when it wields political power and loses its spirit when the Rabbinate becomes a mechanism for patronage.