Israel Religious Action Center

Anonymity is a funny thing. Sometimes, when nasty remarks are posted on the internet under the veil of anonymity, it is a sign of cowardice. Other times, anonymity offers the cover needed to push back against oppression. 

In the Israel Religious Action Center

“Hold it right there! Put your hands where I can see them!” Picture men running into your store, checking the food and the official Rrabbinate documents on the wall that certifies your establishment as kosher. In Israel, this may not be an imaginary scene.

Th

Last month I visited Beit Shemesh, a city less than an hour’s drive from Jerusalem. We had read about some of the most noteworthy incidents there, such as when a young girl was spat on by an ultra-Orthodox extremist on her way to school.

The holiday of Hanukkah begins this Wednesday night. In Israel, interactive billboards in Jerusalem light up hanukkiyot, adding another candle every night of the holiday. The marketplace smells of sufganiyot, doughnuts filled with jelly, and children gather to