Is Meretz anti-religious?

Meretz has sometimes been described as "militantly secular" or "anti-religious". This description does not do us justice. Meretz is neither pro- nor anti-religious. We believe in freedom of religion and conscience -- that faith is a matter which should be freely determined by each individual as he or she sees fit. Accordingly, Meretz USA brings together people from all streams of American Judaism, secular as well as religious (although, admittedly, we don't attract many Orthodox). Meretz USA's "Rabbinic Council", which includes several prominent clergy who support our goals, is testament to that.

One reason Meretz is sometimes perceived as being anti-religious is that that many Israelis confuse "religion" with "Orthodoxy", and anything which threatens Orthodoxy's position in Israel is viewed as being "anti-religious". Hence when Meretz, in the interest of religious pluralism, defends non-Orthodox religious streams (and Meretz is the only party in Israel to do so consistently), this is considered proof positive of Meretz' anti-religious stance (and also explains why so many Conservative and Reform Jews in Israel support Meretz). In other words, Meretz' identification as "anti-religious" is reasonable only to the extent that one considers Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist Judaism to be inherently "anti-Jewish" (which many Israelis do). Most American Jews, on the other hand, view Orthodoxy as only one strand in the rich weave of religious Judaism.

But it would even be unfair to describe Meretz as "anti-Orthodox". Rather, Meretz is against religious coercion, which is a phenomenon that Americans rarely encounter. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon in Israel, where there is no full separation of religion and state. It is Meretz' positions on these matters that often bring it into conflict with the Orthodox religious establishment.

In Israel, unlike the US, religion and religious observance affect many matters of personal conscience and lifestyle, including education, marriage and divorce, burial, employment, housing, public services, entertainment and dietary regulations. Orthodoxy influences government policy not only through legislation (Orthodox parties often control the swing votes that make or break parliamentary coalitions) but also through control of government agencies. Among these are the rabbinical courts - which have jurisdiction over matters of personal status such as marriage, divorce, adoption, conversion - that apply the Orthodox view of hallachah (religious law); the local religious councils that are overwhelmingly Orthodox; and the state-run rabbinate that is completely Orthodox.

While this influence should not be overstated (Israel is not a theocracy, and the vast majority of its citizens do not consider themselves religious), it is nonetheless much greater than most Americans realize. A few examples: (1) Through its control of kashrut certificates, the rabbinate exerts control over entertainment in hotels and banquet halls (e.g. its successful quashing of the local belly-dancing industry) as well as employment practices in the food industry (e.g. forcing food consortium Vita to fire a Jehovah's Witness employee). (2) Rabbinic courts have made it virtually impossible for non-Orthodox couples to adopt children. (3) State-mandated Hevra Kadisha burial societies have made it impossible for many immigrant couples to be buried in adjoining plots, and some IDF soldiers are buried "outside the fence". (4) Municipal funds are set aside for synagogues, mikva'ot and other religious services on an unequal basis, regardless of the needs of the local population. (5) Women are prohibited from praying communally at the Western Wall. (6) There is no public transportation on the Sabbath. (7) The Chief Rabbinate (a government body) regularly denounces non-Orthodox prayer services.

Meretz supports a policy of religious pluralism, in which individuals are free to choose among competing forms of religious observance (or reject all of them) and the state does not champion any one. Ultimately, Meretz strives for the separation of religion and state, but what this exactly entails is not something all Meretz members are in agreement about; some prefer a radical U.S.-style full separation, while others (probably most) feel that Israel should always remain a Jewish state with all the symbolism that this entails. But where all Meretz members agree is that Israel should remove all vestiges of state-enforced religion, and expunge the corrupting influence of religious policy from the political arena. It is this liberal point of view that makes Meretz so despised by many.