The Ministry of Religious Services ( he, המשרד לשירותי דת (''HaMisrad leSherutay Dat'') (formerly Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ministry of Religion) is a government ministry of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

that handles

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

religious affairs.

Responsibilities

The Ministry of Religious Services appoints religious councils and covers 40% of the shortfall in approved budgets for religious facilities and services; grants financial assistance to yeshivas; plans and finances the construction and renovation of synagogues and

ritual bath Ritual purification is the ritual prescribed by a religion by which a person is considered to be free of ''uncleanliness'', especially prior to the worship of a deity, and ritual purity is a state of ritual cleanliness. Ritual purification may ...

s; supervises Jewish holy places; organizes Torah teaching activities and outreach; organizes public religious celebrations; cultivates religious ties with Diaspora Jewry; certifies kashrut in public and government institutions; coordinates religious services of non-Jewish groups in Israel; plans supplementary religious education for underprivileged youth; provides Jewish ritual articles to new immigrants, schools and the needy; and provides budgets for the Chief Rabbinate and rabbinical courts.Ministry of Religious Affairs
/ref>

List of ministers

The Religious Services Minister of Israel ( he, שר לשירותי דת, ''Sar LeShirutei Dat'') is the political head of the Ministry of Religious Services and a relatively minor position in the Israeli cabinet. The post was included in the

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...

, and was initially known as the Minister of Religions and War Victims. Upon the formation of the second government on 8 October 1951 it became the Minister of Religions. On 5 August 1981 the post was renamed Minister of Religious Affairs. The post was scrapped on 1 January 2004, but resurrected on 14 January 2008. Most office holders have been religious Jews, though some were secular.

Haim Yosef Zadok Haim Yosef Zadok ( he, חיים יוסף צדוק, born Haim Wilkenfeld; 2 October 1913 – 15 August 2002) was an Israeli jurist and politician. Early life Zadok was born in 1913 in Rava-Ruska in Eastern Galicia in Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine) ...

, a secular Jew, served twice, in 1974 and 1977.Haim J. Zadok
Israel Democracy Institute During his short stints, Zadok worked to streamline the operation of the rabbinical courts and strengthen relations with the religious leaders of all faiths.

Zerach Warhaftig Zerach Warhaftig (, yi, , also Zorah Wahrhaftig; 2 February 1906 - 26 September 2002) was an Israeli rabbi, lawyer, and politician. He was a signatory of Declaration of Independence (Israel), Israel's Declaration of Independence. Biography Zera ...

was the longest serving minister, holding the post for over 12 years between 1961 and 1974. In

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...

the portfolio changed hands six times, with four people holding the post (Netanyahu three times and

Eli Suissa Rabbi Eliyahu "Eli" Suissa ( he, אליהו "אלי" סויסה, born 1956) is a former Israeli politician who held several ministerial portfolios during the 1990s and early 2000s. Biography Born in Morocco in 1956, Suissa's family made aliyah t ...

twice).

Deputy ministers

References

External links

Gov.il: Ministry of Religious Services
{{authority control Religious Services *Ministry of Religious Services Religious Services Religion in Israel