Seeking to avoid coalition conflict and find solutions to religious issues and the state, a forum was established to address giyur, marriage and burial to name some of the burning religious issues. The forum hopes to put an end to inter-coalition disputes regarding matters of religion and state and as such, it will include members of the coalition parties. The forum has already met twice, last week.

The forum includes Education Minister (Yesh Atid) Rabbi Shai Piron, Deputy Minister of Transportation (Likud) Tzipi Hotevely, Deputy Minister of Religious Services (Bayit Yehudi) Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan and MK (The Movement) Elazar Stern. The committee recognizes that the issues being addressed are both sensitive and critical to the democratic nature of the state, and each party has undertaken not to surprise the other with major religious legislation without first informing the others.

The forum met on Wednesday, 25 Tammuz 5773 to discuss kvura, MK Stern’s bill in particular, a bill that calls for permitting the burial of non-Jewish IDF soldiers alongside Jews.

Stern’s bill led to a coalition dispute after Bayit Yehudi announced it is strongly opposed to the bill. Ben-Dahan was outspoken in his opposition, stating it will chas v’sholom result in Jewish mothers exhuming the bodies of their fallen sons to rebury them alongside Jews.

The daily Maariv reports that one of the forum members adds they are working to find a solution to address mounting pressure to establish a system that will permit non-religious weddings in Israel.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)