Secular

When Shabbat becomes a battleground - opinion

I sat on my balcony watching around 50 haredi (ultra-Orthodox) men and children harass a new cafe’s patrons and staff in Jerusalem’s city center, angry that it was operating on Shabbat.

|ByATARA RUDERMAN
POLICE ARE seen dragging an ultra-Orthodox protester away during a demonstration against a cafe operating on Shabbat while secular protesters demonstrate in support of the cafe in central Jerusalem, on July 11, 2026.
'Secular House' in Thailand, an Israeli activist organization.

Israeli organization's 'Secular House' opens in Thailand as non-religious alternative to Chabad

The 'Secular House' is the brainchild of the Free Secular Movement, an Israeli activist organization that promotes secularism and the separation of religion and state in Israel.

|ByMATHILDA HELLER
Big Fashion Glilot

Ramat Hasharon to force mall to close on Shabbat after religious controversy

The city began pursuing an amended bylaw that would allow broader Shabbat commerce in certain areas, but it has not received the required approval. Until that changes, the existing bylaw remains.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
IDF SOLDIERS operating in the Gaza Strip.

Pareto vs the IDF: Does sociology determine army service? - opinion

We must remember that in any society, different groups will contribute in different ways. To aim for a forced “equality of service” is insensible.

|ByLARRY M. GOLDSTEIN

Three Ladies, Three Lattes: The shrinking secular

You ask the questions, the three latte ladies provide the answers!

JUNE 3, 2023ByTHREE LADIES, THREE LATTES
JERUSALEM STREET scene.

Secular, Orthodox Israelis open up about religious tensions in Israel - survey

Findings show that the secular public feels under attack from the other side in higher percentages than the ultra-orthodox sector does.

MAY 31, 2023ByYUVAL BAGNO/MAARIV
A Secular woman argues with an Ultra orthodox jewish man outside a memorial service for Rabbi Hayyim ben Jacob Abulafia in the northern Israeli city of Tiberias on February 17, 2019.

Haredi society is forcing poverty, deprivation on those that want to work - opinion

Many of us know little about this community, which has chosen to separate itself from the rest of Israeli society.

MAY 28, 2023ByCOOKIE SCHWAEBER-ISSAN
BNEI BRAK: The thing that is unacceptable is forcing a life of poverty and deprivation upon those who want to work, says the writer.

Israel must overcome baseless hatred - opinion

I choose to believe that we only help ourselves by letting go of the all-too-easy resentment and approaching one another as brothers and sisters, however different we truly are.

MAY 23, 2023ByDOUGLAS ALTABEF
PROTESTERS STAND across from haredi boys in front of Kol Torah Yeshiva in Jerusalem, earlier this month.

Haredi, secular Israelis clash in northern Israel indoor playground

Police were called after reports that "dozens" of haredi men had broken into an indoor playground in the northern Israel city of Harish.

MAY 21, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
HAREDI PROTESTORS scuffle with police as the Women of the Wall movement holds Rosh Hodesh prayers at the Western Wall, in March.

The most important difference between secular and religious Zionism - opinion

God’s providence has provided the blessing to the Zionists that built this land - remembering this will ensure our people’s continued success.

MAY 14, 2023ByURI PILICHOWSKI
A MAN PRAYS in a cotton field at sunrise, at Kibbutz Hulda. Religious Zionists believe that while they must do their part, their actions will be successful only if they have God’s help.

Bus line in Ashdod doesn't allow women, drivers say it's line for 'only men'

Bus drivers on the Ashdod 80 line have barred women from riding the bus multiple times.

MAY 6, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Illustrative image of an Electra-Afikim bus.

Is Israel's secular nationalism how God preserves Judaism? - opinion

There are millions of Jews whose sole affiliation with Judaism is their love and commitment to the State of Israel. Their nationalistic loyalty is merely the hidden hand of God.

MAY 5, 2023ByMOSHE TARAGIN
FLOWERS, SIRENS and songs are all cross-cultural, international symbols.

Can we find a compromise between religious and secular Jews? - opinion

Statistics do not lie. The reality is that the haredi sector is expanding, and will likely eventually become the majority in Israel.

MAY 3, 2023ByMENACHEM BOMBACH
THE WRITER addresses the demonstration last Wednesday, outside the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, calling for a broad consensus.

A call for compromise between religious and secular

Rabbi Menachem Bombach speaks at a demonstration calling for a broad consensus between the different groups within Israeli society that are currently in conflict.

MAY 1, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Rabbi Menachem Bombach