Daily Briefing Aug. 21: The ultra-Orthodox aren’t bringing down the coalition – yet

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan and religion and Diaspora affairs reporter Canaan Lidor join host Anne Gordon on today’s episode.

Israel’s current coalition is regarded as its most right-wing and religious government ever, with the largely secular Likud party working in lockstep cooperation (or so it seems most of the time) with the Haredi parties United Torah Judaism and Shas, as well as the Religious Zionism party and Otzma Yehudit, which is largely religious as well. Why, then, is there talk of the ultra-Orthodox parties potentially contemplating stepping out of this united front?

In Hungary, the country’s oldest Orthodox Jewish community may be out of funds to continue. Will Chabad-Lubavitch, historically less welcome in Hungary than elsewhere, step in with the cash to help out?

An enterprising American scientist is encouraging STEM education in Ethiopia, with student-led projects designed to find solutions to the problems the students find in their own society.

That same enterprising scientist is using data-driven farming to help prevent starvation in Uganda. And Uganda’s novel Jewish community may be key to improving the economy there with new jobs.

Discussed articles include:

Netanyahu, Levin said to seek pause to overhaul after Haredi party revolt

How a Boston-based retired physicist is spreading the gospel of science in Africa

Seeding STEM centers in Africa, NGO looks for crop of scientists to cultivate continent

How homegrown data-driven farming may save sub-Saharan Africa’s Jews from starvation

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Check out yesterday’s Daily Briefing episode: