The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) today condemned a recent report issued by the U.S. Department of State that criticizes the State of Israel for alleged religious discrimination against non-Jews and non-Orthodox Jews.  The Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor set forth numerous criticisms of Israel’s practices in its 2009 International Religious Freedom Report, in a section entitled “Israel and the Occupied Territories.”

“The State of Israel was established by Jews as a Jewish State, and to criticize the fact that its religious practices and moral compass are inherently intertwined with Judaism is preposterous,” said NCYI President Shlomo Z. Mostofsky. “As a Jewish state, utilizing the doctrines of the Torah and the canons of Jewish law as guiding principles of governance is certainly appropriate and should be beyond reproach.  This report undermines the Israeli government’s freedom to establish policies and procedures that they deem proper for their citizenry and consider to be in the best interests of their nation.”

Mostofsky also called the report’s findings “hypocritical” in light of the United States’ long history of incorporating religious beliefs into its decision making process.

“In the Unites States, we have blue laws, where shopping is restricted on Sunday in order to enforce certain religious standards which classify Sunday as a day of rest,” said Mostofsky.  “U.S. Presidents get sworn into office with their hand resting on a King James Bible.  December 25 was deemed a federal holiday in 1870 by then-President Ulysses S. Grant.  Witnesses in American courts are sworn in before testifying by promising to tell the truth ‘so help me G-d.’  The United States welcomes people into its country with open arms, irrespective of their religious beliefs, and we are extremely fortunate and appreciative of that.  However, before passing judgment on what it perceives to be biased religious practices in other countries, the United States should first examine its own practices.”

“Israel is the only country in the Middle East with religious freedom and unfettered access to holy sites of all religions,” continued Mostofsky.  “Israel is home to people with varying religious beliefs, including Christians, Muslims, and Jews, and the religious freedom of each of these groups is not inhibited in any way by the Israeli government.  The United States must realize that the Israeli government places no restrictions on people’s right to practice their religion, but the fact of the matter is that Israel is a Jewish state.”

(YWN Desk – NYC)