Israel Will Pay Salaries For Non-Orthodox Communal Rabbis

According to JTA, in Israel last Thursday the Ministry of Religious Services indicated that it is revising its policies so that cities can receive funding for communal rabbis affiliated with the Reform or Masorti (Conservative) movements, not just for Orthodox rabbis. Last year the Israeli government took a similar step for rabbis on regional councils and in farming communities, but it did not apply to larger cities.  (See prior posting.) The most recent decision comes in response to a suit filed in the Israeli Supreme Court by the Reform and Masorti movements arguing that it is discriminatory for the state to employ only Orthodox rabbis in state-funded positions.