Yosef Blau, at The Blogs

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Apr 5, 2023, 5:43 PM

Religious Zionism and compromise on judicial reform

The hardline approach of many religious Zionists must be understood, for it reflects a real shift in the community’s sense of its role in Israeli society

Feb 23, 2023, 12:02 PM

The future of religious Zionism

The critical shift of voters in the last Israeli election was the growth of the “Religious Zionist party.” An amalgam of three parties, uniting after intervention by Benjamin Netanyahu, emerged as the third largest party in the Knesset. Polling...

Jan 2, 2023, 3:15 PM

The coalition is throwing mental health professionalism to the winds

UTJ chairman Rabbi Yitzchak Goldknopf arrives to the coalition talks at a hotel in Jerusalem on November 9, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

UTJ's agreement to eliminate the standard of qualifications for therapists puts the psychological health of the country at risk. It must be stopped

Oct 30, 2022, 3:02 PM

Govern the Jewish state with righteousness

The Western Wall, with the Dome of the Rock behind it. (iStock)

To live up to what it means to a religious Zionist state, Israel must protect the marginalized and vulnerable, and not only those in power

Jul 20, 2022, 3:03 PM

Religious Zionism was once all for minority rights in Israel. What changed?

Far-right MKs Itamar Ben Gvir (L) and Bezalel Smotrich at the Damascus Gate outside Jerusalem's Old City on October 20, 2021. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

From the beginning, Israel's important religious Zionist rabbis grounded equal rights for the Arab minority in Jewish law. They wouldn't know their own camp now

Jun 1, 2022, 8:14 AM

What happened to Yom Yerushalayim?

Jewish Israelis gather with Israeli flags at the Damascus Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem, on May 29, 2022, during the 'Flag March' to mark Jerusalem Day. (Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP)

When Jerusalem Day is a success because no rockets were launched at Israel from Gaza, then the day has become little more than a display of political power

Apr 16, 2021, 12:20 PM

When loyalty to the group means bad behavior gets excused

Ben Gurion (left) signing Israel's Declaration of Independence, held by Moshe Sharet, with Eliezer Kaplan looking on.

The biblical forbears set a high bar for loyalty without losing clarity of right and wrong. Israel needs to balance that same sense of fairness

Feb 12, 2021, 4:10 PM

The Religious Zionist party and the significance of a name

Otzma Yehudit party member Itamar Ben Gvir (R) speaks with National Union faction leader Betzalel Smotrich during a campaign event in Bat Yam, April 6, 2019. (Flash90)

The new party and its priorities make it clear that the religious Zionism of over 100 years remains relevant in religious terms, but not in political ones

Nov 10, 2020, 10:27 PM

The ethical cost of Jewish communal support for Donald Trump

A member of the Jewish Orthodox community wears a mask supporting President Donald Trump, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020, in Borough Park, Brooklyn, New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Orthodox Jews can defend their support of Trump in several ways, but they risk losing themselves if they commit to this kind of problematic personality for the long run

Jul 24, 2020, 4:05 PM

Haredi politicians must accept that gay conversion therapy does harm

When a serious study shows statistically significant higher rates of suicide attempts and depression for those who underwent reparative therapy, what more do you need to know?

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About Me

Rabbi Yosef Blau is the Senior Mashgiach Ruchani (spiritual advisor) at Yeshiva University, and a partial resident in Jerusalem.