Tzohar Rabbinical Organization (, ''Irgun Rabbanei Tzohar'') is an Israeli organization of over 800

religious Zionist Religious Zionism () is a religious denomination that views Zionism as a fundamental component of Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' (), and in Israel, they are most commonly known by the plural form of the fi ...

Orthodox rabbis. It aims to bridge the gaps between religious and

secular Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...

Jews in Israel.

History

The organization was founded after the murder of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin (; , ; 1 March 1922 – 4 November 1995) was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the prime minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–1977, and from 1992 until Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, his ass ...

in 1995 to help shape the Jewish character of Israel through dialogue and search for common elements of identity across all sectors of Israeli Jewish society. Its founders are Rabbis Yuval Cherlow, David Stav, Shai Piron, Tzachi Lehman, Elisha Aviner, and Raffi Feurstein. Tzohar has been supported by the Avi Chai Foundation since its inception.

Activities

Tzohar rabbis take a non-judgemental and non-coercive approach, which is an alternative to the Rabbanut, Israel's governmental rabbinic authority. The rabbis of Tzohar participate in various religious activities such as officiating at

Jewish wedding A Jewish wedding is a wedding ceremony that follows Halakha, Jewish laws and Jewish culture, traditions. While wedding ceremonies vary, common features of a Jewish wedding include a ''ketubah'' (marriage contract) that is signed by two witnesse ...

s, training brides and grooms in the laws of

niddah A niddah (alternative forms: nidda, nida, or nidah; ''nidá''), in traditional Judaism, is a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the ...

, and running prayer services that are open and welcoming (especially during the

High Holy Days In Judaism, the High Holy Days, also known as High Holidays or Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim; , ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm'') consist of: #strictly, the holidays of Rosh Hashanah ("Jewish New Year") and Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"); #by extension, th ...

). In 2015, Tzohar, along with the

Israel Bar Association Israel Bar Association (; IBA) is the bar association for all Israeli lawyers. History The Israel Bar Association was established by The Bar Association Law, 1961. The law went into effect in March 1962. The Association is organized as a cor ...

, introduced a prenuptial agreement meant to help ensure divorcing wives will get a get; under the agreement, the husband commits to paying a high sum of money daily to his spouse in the event of a separation.

Kashrut

In 2017, Tzohar opened a private kosher authority in an effort to challenge the monopoly run by the Rabbanut. Tzohar opened their agency after another private organization, Hashgacha Pratit, agreed to close and move their organizational infrastructure over to Tzohar. The head of Hashgacha Pratit, Rabbi Aaron Leibowitz, helped arrange and facilitate the transfer to the new organization, and the head of Hashgacha Pratit, Rabbi Oren Duvduvani, moved across to head the new authority. By the end of 2018, Tzohar had expanded to take in more than 100 businesses.

References

External links

Tzohar organization website

Tzohar in the English-language press

Articles on Tzohar in the Jerusalem Post

Jerusalem post article on the "Tzohar law" controversy
{{Authority control Religious Zionist organizations Rabbinical organizations Orthodox Judaism in Israel 1995 establishments in Israel Jewish organizations established in 1995