The Ministry of Religious Services (), formerly the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ministry of Religion, is a government ministry of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

that handles

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

and other religious affairs.

Responsibilities

The Ministry of Religious Services appoints religious councils, and covers 40% of the shortfall in approved budgets for religious facilities and services; grants financial assistance to religious schools and yeshivas; plans, and finances, the construction and renovation of

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

s and

ritual bath Ritual purification is a ritual prescribed by a religion through which a person is considered to be freed of ''uncleanliness'', especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification ...

s; supervises holy places; organizes Torah teaching activities and outreach; organizes public religious celebrations; cultivates religious ties with Diaspora Jewry; certifies

kashrut (also or , ) is a set of Food and drink prohibitions, dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to halakha, Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed ko ...

in public and government institutions; coordinates religious services of non-Jewish groups in Israel; plans supplementary religious education for under-privileged youth; provides Jewish ritual articles to new immigrants, schools, and the needy; and provides budgets for the Chief Rabbinate and rabbinical courts.Ministry of Religious Affairs
/ref>

List of ministers

The Religious Services Minister of Israel (, ''Sar LeShirutei Dat'') is the political head of the Ministry of Religious Services and a relatively minor position in the Israeli cabinet. The post was included in the

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

, and was initially known as the Minister of Religions and War Victims. Upon the formation of the second government on 8 October 1951 it became the Minister of Religions. On 5 August 1981 the post was renamed Minister of Religious Affairs. The post was scrapped on 1 January 2004, but resurrected on 14 January 2008. Most office holders have been religious Jews, though some were secular.

Haim Yosef Zadok Haim Joseph Zadok (, born Haim Wilkenfeld; 2 October 1913 – 15 August 2002) was an Israeli jurist and politician. Early life Zadok was born in 1913 in Rava-Ruska in Eastern Galicia in Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine). He studied philosophy and Je ...

, a secular Jew, served twice, in 1974 and 1977.Haim J. Zadok
Israel Democracy Institute During his short stints, Zadok worked to streamline the operation of the rabbinical courts and strengthen relations with the religious leaders of all faiths. Zerach Warhaftig was the longest serving minister, holding the post for over 12 years between 1961 and 1974. In

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu (born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who has served as the prime minister of Israel since 2022, having previously held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime min ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

the portfolio changed hands six times, with four people holding the post (Netanyahu three times and

Eli Suissa Rabbi Eliyahu "Eli" Suissa (; born 1956) is an Israeli former politician who held several ministerial portfolios during the 1990s and early 2000s. Biography Born in Morocco in 1956, Suissa's family emigrated to Israel later in the same year. He ...

twice).

Deputy ministers

References

External links

Gov.il: Ministry of Religious Services
{{authority control Religious Services *Ministry of Religious Services Religious Services Religion in Israel