The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/religious-coercion/ News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World Tue, 09 Jun 2026 19:07:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://static-cdn.toi-media.com/www/uploads/2018/11/toi_icon_512-200x200.png religious coercion | The Times of Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/religious-coercion/ 32 32 Texas can require Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms, US court rules https://www.timesofisrael.com/texas-can-require-ten-commandments-displayed-in-classrooms-us-court-rules/ Wed, 22 Apr 2026 06:18:00 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3807560 American conservatives laud victory for 'moral values' as ruling signals boost to similar legislation in other red states; law's challengers plan to take case to Supreme Court

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]]> IDF court-martials female troops who showed up for discharge in tank tops, short skirt https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-court-martials-female-troops-who-showed-up-for-discharge-in-tank-tops-short-skirt/ Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:39:59 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?post_type=liveblog_entry&p=3804684 Military docks pay of 3 women; mother calls incident 'repulsive and humiliating'; punishment of troops comes amid uproar after medics were jailed for barbecuing on base on Shabbat

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]]> Knesset advances bill criminalizing interference with Orthodox religious practices in public https://www.timesofisrael.com/coalition-advances-bill-criminalizing-interference-with-orthodox-religious-practices-in-public/ Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:36:38 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3714588 Coalition bill also requires civil court judges to pass test on Jewish law, though that clause expected to be nixed; MKs also vote for legislation stripping chief justice of authority to staff judicial panels

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]]> How at the turn of the century, American Jews really did wage a ‘war on Christmas’ https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-at-the-turn-of-the-century-american-jews-really-did-wage-a-war-on-christmas/ Wed, 19 Nov 2025 02:34:26 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3690367 A new book by historian Scott D. Seligman recalls the 'The Great Christmas Boycott of 1906,' when immigrants fought for the separation of church and state in public schools

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]]> High Court to rule on public Tel Aviv Yom Kippur prayer amid fears of repeat clashes https://www.timesofisrael.com/high-court-to-rule-on-public-tel-aviv-yom-kippur-prayer-amid-fears-of-repeat-clashes/ Wed, 09 Oct 2024 02:00:11 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3393551 On Wednesday morning, judges are set to weigh in on a controversial service that underscores deep rifts in Israeli society and saw violent confrontations when it was held last year

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]]> Fearing ostracism or worse, many Muslim nonbelievers hide their views in Middle East https://www.timesofisrael.com/fearing-ostracism-or-worse-many-muslim-nonbelievers-hide-their-views-in-middle-east/ Mon, 16 Oct 2023 22:59:05 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3112631 Atheists, agnostics and religiously unaffiliated people in Arab world tell about the various ways they get around while avoiding persecution

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]]> Tel Aviv officials, activists disrupt protest prayer led by terror-bereaved rabbi https://www.timesofisrael.com/city-authorities-demonstrators-disrupt-unauthorized-protest-prayer-in-tel-aviv/ Thu, 05 Oct 2023 10:34:51 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3112723 Municipal workers dismantle sex-segregation barrier placed in Dizengoff Square by Rabbi Leo Dee and other worshipers in response to confrontations over the divider on Yom Kippur

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]]> Fearing religious takeover, activists see ‘secular awakening’ in Yom Kippur fray https://www.timesofisrael.com/fearing-religious-takeover-activists-see-secular-awakening-in-yom-kippur-fray/ Fri, 29 Sep 2023 08:11:53 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3106656 The breaking up of a prayer event over gender segregation has galvanized liberals worried about a slide into coercion, with battle lines mirroring divisions found in overhaul fight

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]]> At a Tel Aviv prayer rally, anti-government protesters channel ‘a different Judaism’ https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-a-tel-aviv-prayer-rally-anti-government-protesters-channel-a-different-judaism/ Fri, 29 Sep 2023 04:28:38 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3107993 Event born out of secular-religious clashes and a demonstration against far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir marks an unusual mix of faith and politics

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]]> Segregated Yom Kippur prayers spark slurs and bitterness, not atonement, in Tel Aviv https://www.timesofisrael.com/segregated-yom-kippur-prayers-spark-slurs-and-bitterness-not-atonement-in-tel-aviv/ Mon, 25 Sep 2023 19:27:05 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3104897 Angry tussles mar Judaism's holiest day, as Orthodox and secular tensions hit a boiling point at court-barred, public gender-divided prayer event in the liberal heart of Israel

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]]> Annual Yom Kippur mass prayer tests the limits of Tel Aviv’s vaunted liberalism https://www.timesofisrael.com/annual-yom-kippur-mass-prayer-tests-the-limits-of-tel-avivs-vaunted-liberalism/ Thu, 21 Sep 2023 12:17:26 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3096154 City has prohibited the placing of a divider between men and women at popular street event that draws 2,000 Orthodox and secular participants; as things stand, it won't go ahead

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]]> Local elections turn placid Tiberias into unlikely front in Israel’s societal clash https://www.timesofisrael.com/local-elections-turn-placid-tiberias-into-unlikely-front-in-israels-societal-clash/ Wed, 20 Sep 2023 07:42:33 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3085066 Haredi and secularist extremism, as well as the alleged involvement of a former politician with a criminal record, are muddying the lakeside city's political waters

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]]> Fear and frustration run deep around sex-segregated swimming plan at natural springs https://www.timesofisrael.com/fear-and-frustration-run-deep-around-sex-segregated-swimming-plan-at-natural-springs/ Thu, 10 Aug 2023 08:30:50 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3068085 An attempt to accommodate summertime Haredi visits to nature reserves is adding heat to the raging fight over Israel's character

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]]> Dozens of restaurants to stay open illegally on Tisha B’Av, some to protest overhaul https://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-of-restaurants-to-stay-open-illegally-on-tisha-bav-some-to-protest-overhaul/ Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:08:11 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=3059366 Many cite a desire to fight what they see as increasing religious coercion, whereas others are flouting the law to mitigate decreasing profit margins amid inflation

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]]> IDF Passover Haggadah depicts ‘evil son’ as secular, other three boys as religious https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-passover-haggadah-depicts-evil-son-as-secular-other-three-boys-as-religious/ Wed, 05 Apr 2023 15:01:52 +0000 https://www.timesofisrael.com/?p=2990537 Commentary in religious book distributed to officers for holiday says God sometimes 'allows our enemies to attack us so that we're inspired to repent'

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