The Religion-State Status Quo: From Ben Gurion to Today

This post presents resources from the Israel Democracy Institute exploring the development of legislation regarding religion and state in Israel – from David Ben Gurion’s original “status quo” letter until today. Highlighting issues regarding Shabbat, Kashrut and personal status, both resources show how discrepancies between court rulings, legal enforcement and the realities of daily life have led to total chaos in religion-state relations. Created in the context of the 2017 Western Wall and conversion controversies, the animated video was produced by the Israel Democracy Institute, and the article was written by Dr. Shuki Friedman, Director of the Center for Religion, Nation and State