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Jul 5, 2026, 11:45 AM

Trading Zionism for Political Survival

Haredi boy holds sign that reads: 'Our answer to the High court and the rest of the haters of religion: Even if you stand us in front of a firing squad, we will choose death, and not enlist to the army,' at a protest against the draft in Jerusalem on August 7, 2025. (Charlie Summers/Times of Israel)

In supporting the Basic Law: Torah Study, Israel's Religious Zionist and Likud parties have traded away their most sacred principles for a very modest “bowl of lentils”: divisive legislation, the support of ultra-Orthodox coalition partners and a few more...

Jul 2, 2026, 3:04 PM

1,000 Days Since Oct. 7 & the Torah Study Law

Today marks 1,000 days since the tragic events of October 7, 2023. It has been 1,000 days since the failure that led to the massacre. We remember the hostages and honor the heroism of hundreds of ordinary citizens who...

Jul 1, 2026, 11:47 PM

Torah Scholar Deferments

Last week while I was davening shacharit in my Dati-Leumi shul, a young man approached me and asked me to contribute to a Wedding fund. He was bearded, dressed in a black suit, black hat. I interrupted my prayers...

Jun 25, 2026, 11:19 PM

The Self-Undermining Blockade

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This is a complicated, deeply personal and emotional issue for everyone in Israel, but it must be addressed honestly and realistically in light of current events. The State of Israel is in real danger, period. In a situation like this,...

Jun 22, 2026, 10:24 AM

A talking donkey and Haredi society

In the Bible, a donkey quietly and consistently supports and carries the prophetic Seer Balaam. Yet, Balaam, infamous for his evil-eye, mercilessly insults and repeatedly beats his beast of burden, all the while taking for granted its benevolence. The prophet's...

Jun 21, 2026, 2:27 PM

My son is in Lebanon; yours is in yeshiva

I know how to hold two things at once. I am an Israeli. I am a journalist. I am a mother with a son in uniform. Holding contradictions is not a skill I learned. It is a condition of...

Sam Lehman-Wilzig

Jun 19, 2026, 9:55 AM

Independence or Out-Dependents? The Fall of Israeli Sovereignty

The State of Israel came into being for one central reason: ensuring that Jews, through their own elected government, are in control of their lives and destiny. Sadly, such “sovereignty” has lately suffered from significant erosion – and not...

Jun 14, 2026, 5:05 PM

(Tom Issachar via Wikimedia Commons)

We need Trumpian negotiations – say, open streets for cash flow and we'll address army service later. But only if you accept that you too are Israeli citizens

Jun 12, 2026, 7:07 PM

Charedim and Bibi ‘rightists’? Pull the other one!

On this week's Unholy podcast (Keshet), co-host Yonit Levi ventures that "the charedim have moved to the right. "Well, if you listen to the rhetoric of their leaders, Gafni, Deri et al, they do indeed dutifully talk about the...

Yaakov Chaliotis

Jun 12, 2026, 6:11 PM

Israel cannot win the war by constitutionalizing inequality

The proposed "Basic Law: Torah Study" is not merely an internal Israeli dispute. It strikes at the core of democratic legitimacy, military endurance, and the strategic credibility of a state that is a key partner of Greece, Cyprus, and...

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