Secular

In the shadow of October 7: How Yom Kippur has changed for some secular Israelis

The October 7 attack has affected all Israelis somehow. Some have questioned God’s existence. Others have gotten closer to religion, and sought connection to spirituality.

The empty streets in Tel Aviv, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the holiest of Jewish holidays. Israel came to a standstill for 25-hours during the high holiday of Yom Kippur when observant Jews fast and Israelis are prohibited from driving, October 2, 2025.
A Jewish man blows a shofar at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City during the final Selichot prayers ahead of Yom Kippur, September 19, 2026.

Most Israeli Jews fast on Yom Kippur, while over half take part in prayer services, survey finds

Haredi protestors stand under a bridge, blocking a road near Bnei Brak on Wednesday, 17 June.

Bnei Brak Municipality allegedly blocked road with dumpsters before Shabbat in protest - report

 THE ZIONIST identity didn’t overcome the Jewish identity, nor did the opposite occur: An IDF soldier puts on tefillin.

National-religious men overrepresented in IDF reserves as haredim stay absent, IDI analysis finds


Can you have morals without religion?

Even without divine instructions, humans are expected to act upon basic moral instincts and their innate sense of right and wrong.

 Human beings are weak by nature (Illustrative).

Israel: A Jewish democracy or religious state? - opinion

The Israeli government should strike a balance between the demands made by the ultra-Orthodox sectors and the needs of Israeli citizens in general.

 BNEI BRAK: The combination of ultra-Orthodox large families who are unemployed, lack a regular income and the basic education required for knowledge and occupation, has led to extensive poverty among this sector, says the writer.

Majority of young Israelis fear for Israel's democracy - survey

A majority of Israeli youth and university graduates, both Jewish and Arab, responded that they feared for the future of Israel’s democracy.

 Israelis protest against head of the Likud party Benjamin Netanyahu, at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, on October 29, 2022.

There's a missed chance to form new balance with haredim - opinion

On issues such as public transportation on Saturday the status quo will be preserved and prospects of introducing such transportation in secular regions, towns and cities will be thwarted.

 MK MOSHE Gafni (right) in deep discussion with fellow United Torah Judaism MK Yitzhak Goldknopf in the Knesset plenum last week.

In viral clip, French TV host asks Jewish guest why he wears a kippah in public

Though brief, the exchange illustrated the starkly different perspectives on religious expression in France, the United States and elsewhere in the western world.

A man wearing a yarmulke looks at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

A secular Jewish financial hero

From Birthright to new day schools, Michael Steinhardt’s activism changed Jewish America.

 Michael Steinhardt, hedge fund mogul and major financial backer of secular Jewish causes, at the Reuters Investment Summit in New York in 2008.

Beyond election tribes and tribulations -opinion

As a result of the endless election cycle in Israel, we have seen an increase in tension between different groups and the strengthening of the walls that separate them.

 VOTING TAKES place on Election Day, last week

Is Eshkolot the future of haredi secular education in Israel?

While the Eshkolot program has attracted close to 20,000 students, there remains an official stigma among many to publicly acknowledge their participation in the program

 SEVENTY-FIVE percent of Eshkolot program students are haredi men with no formal secular education.

Meet the Fire Island shul; warning: not your normal shul

For those who observe Shabbat and Jewish holidays, and for those who simply want a relaxed destination getaway not far from New York City, there may be no better place than on Fire Island.

 THE FIRE Island market and trolleys.

How are parents, adult children navigating religious differences?

Yet, all around us are families that have found ways to navigate their religious differences. We focus here on three Torah-observant families that have adult children who identify as secular.

 A HAREDI family walks on the beach in Ashdod this past Passover (Illustrative)