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Norman L. Cantor

May 12, 2026, 12:12 AM

Israel’s Struggle to Maintain Religious Pluralism

Israel's founders aspired – as proclaimed in Israel's declaration of independence – to a Jewish ingathering while assuring freedom of religion and conscience to all inhabitants. How would those mostly secular founders regard current efforts of an ultra-religious bloc...

Dec 31, 2025, 2:30 PM

When the ultra-Orthodox leaders jockey for control, the whole country loses

Illustrative. UTJ MKs Uri Maklev and Moshe Gafni at the Knesset Finance Committee, August 12, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Political parties have no business running religious institutions; it's unprofessional, divisive, and devoid of public trust

Jul 21, 2025, 5:47 PM

The dangerous theology behind Israel’s coalition partners

Chairman Aryeh Deri attends a meeting of the Shas party Council of Torah Sages in Jerusalem, July 16, 2025. (Flash90)

Haredi political parties are rooted in a worldview that views national tragedies such as October 7 as simply part of God's plan

Menachem Rosensaft

Aug 5, 2024, 8:13 AM

Netanyahu makes Macbeth look positively benign

President Joe Biden is absolutely right to be furious at the realization that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lied to him regarding the latter’s professed willingness to agree to a deal to bring home those hostages from Hamas’ October 7...

Nov 19, 2022, 11:42 PM

The Emerging Coalition in Israel Isn’t “Extremist”

(Image commercially licensed by author)

The most reliable sign of true extremism is demonizing that opponent and refusing to deal with the opponent's views on their merits. It's also a sign of insecurity about the merit's of one's own views. Accusations of ideological deviance...

Nov 11, 2022, 2:12 PM

A Gig Worker’s Declaration of Independence!

(Image commercially licensed by author)

The new proposed rules issued by the US Department of Labor (USDOL) regulating gig workers and the approach to those same workers by the Israeli Labor Court (in cases involving Uber and others) threaten to destroy the gig economy...

Oct 25, 2021, 6:13 PM

Time indeed to limit Haredi ‘political sway’!

Rabbi Kariv passing Torah scroll to Women of the Wall on Rosh Hodesh Cheshvan 5782 (courtesy: Women of the Wall)

The Torah is hailed by its followers as "Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace", but the conduct of the ultra-Orthodox politicians is anything but that. What characterizes their rhetoric and actions is an...

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