The Ne’emanei Torah V’Avodah Organization conducted a poll that reveals the issues of marriage and religious legislation in Israel in the eyes of most religious and traditional Israelis distances them from Yiddishkheit.

The poll was conducted by the Rafi Smith Institute to examine the relationship between sectoral affiliation and the position of Israelis regarding religion and state, and it refutes many a basic premise based on the Israeli political arena. 500 respondents took part in the poll. According to the poll, being religious and one’s connection to tradition are not significant in fact regarding support for religious legislation in its current scope.

For example, the poll reveals that 25% of the general religious population in Israel supports civilian marriage and 41% of the traditional community opposes religious legislation at the current pace.

56% of religious Jews in Israel agree with those who accuse the Chief Rabbinate of Israel of compelling couples to get married religiously and as a result, there is an increase in the number of couples going abroad to get married in a civil ceremony. Among those identifying as traditional, the number climbs to 73% and in total, 80% of all Israelis agree with this position.

Similarly, the poll reveals that 42% of the traditional population in Israel lend support to this for they feel the current religious legislation distances citizens from Yiddishkheit. 63% of religious respondents feel today’s legislation has no influence on becoming closer to religion and 11% feel they are distanced as a result of the legislation. All total, 56% of Israelis feel religious legislation pushes the further away.

41% of traditional citizens are opposed to the current religious legislation and 50% of that number back civilian weddings.

Alongside studying the relationship between sectoral affiliation – religious or traditional – and between opinions regarding religion and state, was also examined transversely – in different parts of Israeli society – the relationship between attitudes about religion and traditions and attitudes about religion and state.

According to the survey, 69 % of Israelis said that they are very close or “pretty close” to the Jewish tradition. While only 31% responded that they were “not so close” or away from tradition.

That said, 47% of those identifying as being ‘pretty close’ or ‘very close’ to tradition are also opposed to religious legislation. Only 27% of this group backed religious legislation. Another example from this same group pertaining to the influence of religious legislation, 44% feel religious legislation distances people from Yiddishkheit.

The poll cites another example in which the current religious status quo distances people from Jewish tradition. The Smith poll learned that mitzvos that are observed not compelled by law and matters included in the status quo. For example, 38% of those who stated that fast all the time or some of the time on Yom Kippur also supports the sale of chametz in stores on Pesach. 23% of this group even supports eliminating the legislation prohibiting the raising of pigs in Israel.

Shmuel Shattach, executive director of Ne’emanei Torah V’Avodah, feels the polls blows away some holy cows including the claim that one opposed to the current religion and state status quo is necessarily opposed to religion, but quite the contrary. He feels it shows that those who ‘genuinely care about religious are opposed to legislation and the status quo is distancing Israelis from religion, including religious Jews…”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)