Newsroom:
LGBTQ Equality
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The Jerusalem Post
March 17, 2022A petition submitted by Israel's LGBT Task Force, the Israel Religious Action Center, Open House Jerusalem and two male couples who were pushed to the end of the "waiting list" to adopt children, demanded that the government repair the discrimination against LGBTQ+ couples who cannot adopt children as the situation stands today.
"The government committed to amending the law in 2017 to allow adoption for any couple regardless of their sexual orientation; however, the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in adoption continues," said the Director of the Israel Religious Action Center and the lawyer representing the petitioners, Orly Erez-Lahovski.
"A situation in which LGBTQ+ couples are denied the right to be parents and have a family is unbearable in a democratic country," she said. "Considering the state's announcement, we expect the High Court to get involved and stop the discrimination without any more delays."
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Haaretz
March 16, 2022The state's announcement to the High Court was made in response to an appeal by the Aguda - Israel's LGBTQ Task Force, the Israel Religious Action Center, the Jerusalem Open House, and two male couples hoping to adopt children.
2022
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The Jerusalem Post
August 1, 2021Lawyers for the Reform movement’s Israel Religious Action Center argued in their High Court petition that Amar’s repeated vitriolic outbursts violate disciplinary codes and justify the submission of a disciplinary complaint against the rabbi under the terms of the Law for Jewish Religious Services of 1971.
“The justice minister and the attorney-general have demonstrated complete helplessness in the face of this illegitimate behavior by refraining from putting Rabbi Amar on disciplinary trial for these severe remarks,” the Reform movement said.
The organization said that the justice minister and attorney-general’s refusal to enforce disciplinary law for public officials against Amar was “extremely unreasonable,” amounted to a “dereliction of duty,” and eroded the deterrence of the possibility of disciplinary violations, and “even has the effect of giving a stamp of approval to his illegitimate statements.”
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Haaretz
July 28, 2021The petition was filed by the Israel Religious Action Center on behalf of the Reform movement in Israel, the Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance and Women of the Wall. The petitioners said they had filed dozens of judicial complaints over five years about Amar’s offensive remarks, but to no avail. Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar and Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit are named as defendants in the case, along with Amar.
Amar, who has been in his current position since November 2019, was previously Israel's Sephardi chief rabbi for 10 years.
“Regretfully, the defendant exploits his unique and lofty position in order to target and incite against entire communities in Israeli society, among them the Reform community, Women of the Wall and the LGBTQ community, which he treats in a hurtful, degrading and humiliating way,” the petition said.
2021
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The Jerusalem Post
August 20, 2020The municipality has launched an initiative to make certain official sites available for weddings of residents blocked from banquet halls due to coronavirus restrictions.
Following a claim presented by the Israel Religious Action Center, the District Court has ruled that the city must extend this offer to all interested parties, including LGBTQ couples and others who cannot get married by the rabbinate. The municipality has confirmed its intention to fully honor the court decision.
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Haaretz
August 3, 2020The petitioners are being represented by the Israel Religious Action Center – the advocacy arm of the Reform movement in Israel.
In their suit, they demanded an injunction against the program until all couples, not only those marrying through the rabbinate, are deemed eligible to apply.
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The Times of Israel
April 24, 2020Things were much more difficult for Ofer Erez when he was drafted to the IDF in 2012. Now the director of public affairs for the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), Erez was the first transgender officer in the IDF, and served for a total of six years.
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The Times of Israel
January 21, 2020Rabbi Noa Sattath, director of the Reform Movement’s Israel Religious Action Center, blasted the Hazon posters at the time as “incitement,” charging that the conservative group was “against anyone who does not hold their dark and violent worldview.”
2020
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The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle
December 31, 2019BROWN DEER – Anat Hoffman, executive director of the Israel Religious Action Center, is concerned about billboards she’s seen comparing the Reform movement to Nazis, among other pejorative messages.
The billboards, in Israel, have appeared during the run-up to recent elections. Hoffman is worried that the billboards could reappear in the next Israeli election cycle. Hoffman made the remarks during a meeting with the Chronicle in late November 2019 at the Four Points Sheraton Milwaukee North Shore in Brown Deer. Hoffman was in town as part of a North American fundraising tour for her Israel-based work.
One billboard’s message was: “Father and father do not a family make. The right to be normal. Vote Noam.”
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Haaretz
June 6, 2019The Israel Religious Action Center of the Reform movement, one of the original petitioners in the case, is now considering going back to court. On Wednesday, the Justice Ministry said that while it was in the process of formulating the final version of the draft bill, the Knesset voted to call new elections and as a result the publication of the new bill has been delayed.
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The Times of Israel
June 4, 2019Rabbi Noa Sattath, director of the Israel Religious Action Center, blasted the Hazon posters as “incitement,” telling Channel 12 news the conservative group was “against anyone who does not hold their dark and violent worldview.”
“We will continue to fight for justice and equality,” said Sattath, an LGBT rights activist and one of the organizers of the Jerusalem parade. “We demand a thorough examination of the sources of funding for this incitement organization. No one knows who is financing Hazon and why.”
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Haaretz
March 10, 2019It is still too early to predict how big an impact five lawmakers out of a total of 120 will have. But according to Rabbi Noa Sattath, a lesbian activist and director of the Israel Religious Action Center, “the symbolism is amazing.”
“Who would have even imagined in their wildest dreams 10 years ago that the No. 1 spot in the Labor Party primary would be filled by a gay man, and that another gay man would have risen to such popularity in Likud?” she asks, referring to Shmuli and Ohana. Besides these two obvious representatives of the community, she notes, the outgoing Knesset also has two women — Merav Ben Ari of the center-right Kulanu and Michal Biran of Zionist Union — who co-parent with gay men and are considered key allies of the community.
At the same time, though, Sattath says she is deeply disappointed by the lack of diversity in the composition of the next Knesset’s LGBT delegation. “They are all Jewish men,” she says. “There are no representatives of the Arab, the lesbian or the transgender communities. In some way, it seems like it’s simply a way for these parties to depict themselves as inclusive and liberal. But when you think about it, how can you call a party like Likud — which was behind a deal to bring Kahanists into the Knesset — inclusive and liberal?” she asks, referring to the controversial electoral pact Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck recently with the racist Otzma Yehudit.
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World Religious News
March 2, 2019Kanter subsequently filed a legal case in the Jerusalem Small Claims Court. He was helped in his legal proceedings by the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC). As per Israeli law, discrimination which centers on sexual orientation is against the law. The lawsuit filed by the student demanded 33,500 shekels which comes to approximately $9,100.
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LGBTQ Nation
March 2, 2019The Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), which aided Kanter in bringing his case to court, credited the student for “standing up for equality and justice in Israel.”
“They have used their time in Israel to prepare for the rabbinate not only by studying, but also by transforming Israeli society,” said IRAC Executive Director Anat Hoffman in a press release, referring also to Kanter’s classmates at the Hebrew Union College.
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The Huffington Post
February 28, 2019With help from the Israel Religious Action Center, the social justice arm of the Reform movement in Israel, Kanter filed a lawsuit last September seeking damages of about $9,100.
“The outpouring of support from people around Israel, the incredible team at Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC), and the outcome of the trial made me realize that Israel offers me protections for being gay that even the United States doesn’t offer,” Kanter told HuffPost in an email. “While this protection is in place, there is still a long way to go to make sure all LGBT people feel safe and secure in this entire country.”
Kanter told HuffPost that he plans to donate the money from his legal victory to IRAC “to continue fighting for religious equality, specifically for Reform Jews, here in Israel.”
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Cleveland Jewish News
February 28, 2019Kanter filed a lawsuit the following month, seeking damages of 33,500 shekels, or about $9,100, with the assistance of the Israel Religious Action Center, or IRAC, the social justice arm of the Reform movement in Israel.
We are proud of rabbinical student Sammy Kanter and his HUC classmates for standing up for equality and justice in Israel. They have used their time in Israel to prepare for the rabbinate not only by studying, but also by transforming Israeli society,” Anat Hoffman, executive director of IRAC, said in a statement.
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Haaretz
February 28, 2019Kanter filed a lawsuit the following month, seeking damages of 33,500 shekels, or about $9,100, with the assistance of the Israel Religious Action Center, or IRAC, the social justice arm of the Reform movement in Israel.
"We are proud of rabbinical student Sammy Kanter and his HUC classmates for standing up for equality and justice in Israel. They have used their time in Israel to prepare for the rabbinate not only by studying, but also by transforming Israeli society,” Anat Hoffman, executive director of IRAC, said in a statement.
2019
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Pink News
October 19, 2018He is now suing the company for 33,500 shekels (around £7,000) with the help of human rights organisation Israel Religious Action Centre (IRAC), the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has reported.
“This is an important precedent for Jerusalem,” Rabbi Noa Sattath, director of IRAC, told local media.
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Cleveland Jewish News
October 18, 2018Kanter filed a lawsuit the following month, seeking damages of 33,500 shekels, or about $9,100, with the assistance of the Israel Religious Action Center, or IRAC, the social justice arm of the Reform movement in Israel.
“This is an important precedent for Jerusalem,” Rabbi Noa Sattath, IRAC director, told JTA. She said that the owner of the pizzeria is liable for the actions of his employee
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The Jerusalem Post
August 14, 2018In response to the incident, Kanter contacted the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) for assistance, and filed a lawsuit seeking NIS 50,000 in damages.
Orly Erez Likhovski, director of IRAC’s legal department and Kanter’s attorney, said Israeli law forbids discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion or sexual orientation.
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Jewish Journal
June 22, 2018Rabbi Galit Kohen-Kedem, the rabbi of Kehilat Kodesh v’Chol, a Reform synagogue in Holon, Israel (15 minutes drive from Tel Aviv) shared with me that Holon’s Deputy Mayor shared horrible homophobic statements on his Facebook page. In reaction, Rabbi Galit’s congregation teamed up with several LGBTQ organizations through the Israel Religious Action Center to participate in Holon’s first pride parade/demonstration demanding that the Deputy Mayor be removed from his position.
2018
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Cleveland Jewish News
September 17, 2017The state on Sunday made the announcement during a hearing at the Supreme Court in response to a petition regarding adoption by same-sex and common-law couples filed by the Association of Israeli Gay Fathers, with the Israel Religious Action Center of the Reform movement, against the Social Affairs Ministry and the attorney general.
“The court recognized the merits of the petition presented to them and decided to encourage a fundamental change in Israel’s adoption policy. From now on same sex families, who deserve the right to adopt like any other family, will have that right,” said Riki Shapira Rosenberg, lead attorney for the Israel Religious Action Center, in a statement. “We will continue to closely monitor the legislative processes following the petition to ensure that the Government follows through on its commitment and soon.”
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UPI
September 17, 2017The Association of Israeli Gay Fathers, along with the Israel Religious Action Center of the Reform movement, filed a lawsuit against the government after the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs declared same-sex couples put an "additional burden" on children and opposed the practice, resulting in more barriers for same-sex couples to be approved for adoption.
"The court recognized the merits of the petition presented to them and decided to encourage a fundamental change in Israel's adoption policy. From now on same sex families, who deserve the right to adopt like any other family, will have that right," said Riki Shapira Rosenberg, lead attorney for the Israel Religious Action Center, according to JTA. "We will continue to closely monitor the legislative processes following the petition to ensure that the Government follows through on its commitment and soon."
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The Washington Blade
August 30, 2017The Association of Israeli Gay Fathers and the Israel Religious Action Center challenged the law in a petition with the Israeli Supreme Court it filed against the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services and Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit. Haaretz last month reported Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in a brief said, “it has been decided by the professional bodies in the Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services Ministry not to act at the present time to change the existing law.”
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The Jerusalem Post
August 30, 2017The ministry said there is no problem in principle with adoption by a same-sex couple in a brief filed with Israel’s Supreme Court, Israel’s Channel 2 first reported Tuesday evening. The brief was filed in response to a petition regarding adoption by same-sex and common-law couples filed by the Association of Israeli Gay Fathers, with the Israel Religious Action Center of the Reform movement, against the Social Affairs Ministry and the attorney general.
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Haaretz
August 29, 2017According to the ministry’s new position, the criteria for adoption will address the potential parents’ suitability for a given child, regardless of sexual orientation. The state's position was filed in response to a petition to the High Court filed by the Association of Israeli Gay Fathers, together with the Israel Religious Action Center of the Reform movement, against the Social Affairs Ministry and the attorney general.
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Above the Law
July 26, 2017A Plea For Reform. In 2015, a group called the Association of Israeli Gay Fathers, along with another group called the Israel Religious Action Center, filed a petition challenging the prohibition on same-sex couples adopting children. A hearing was set for last Thursday, July 20, 2017. But against the background of significant protests, the Supreme Court of Israel postponed the hearing, which is now scheduled for September 19, 2017.
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Haaretz
July 20, 2017Israel Religious Action Center head Rabbi Noa Sattath slammed the ministers of Habayit Hayehudi in her speech at the demonstration. "Minister [Naftali] Bennett tries to say that he loves us, only he isn’t interested in giving us recognition and equality. To that we answer – we are not asking for your love, we ask for complete equality for us and our families," she said.
"Minister [Ayelet] Shaked and her party wish to continue with the discrimination against us, thus marking us as irregular. And this irregularity – which they themselves create – they present as a claim for discrimination. This move is transparent and despicable. We will not be silent on homophobia."
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JTA
July 18, 2017The Supreme Court petition regarding adoption by same-sex and common-law couples was filed by the Association of Israeli Gay Fathers, with the Israel Religious Action Center of the Reform movement, against the Social Affairs Ministry and the attorney general.
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The Times of Israel
July 18, 2017The court petition regarding adoption by same-sex and common-law couples was filed by the Association of Israeli Gay Fathers, with the Israel Religious Action Center of the Reform Movement, against the Welfare Ministry and the attorney general.
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The Jerusalem Post
July 18, 2017Ohana’s rebellion comes two days after the state responded to a petition to the High Court of Justice by the Reform Movement’s Israel Religious Action Center by saying it opposes allowing LGBT couples to adopt, because the matter is controversial in Israel and it would put the child at a societal disadvantage. The Labor and Social Services Ministry then sent out several contradictory messages, seemingly walking back the earlier position. Since 2008, the policy is to allow gay couples to adopt, but only after straight couples have been considered.
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The Forward
July 16, 2017 -
Haaretz
July 16, 2017The petition to the High Court was filed by the Association of Israeli Gay Fathers, together with the Israel Religious Action Center of the Reform movement, against the Social Affairs Ministry and the attorney general.
Ricki Shapira Rosenberg, a lawyer with the Israel Religious Action Center, said that while the state's reversal of its policy on adoptions for common-law couples was a positive step, the group regrets the ministers' determination to stick to the policy of not allowing single-sex couples the right to adopt like heterosexual couples. Rosenberg said this was an unconstitutional interpretation of the law, which violates the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Liberty and the principle of equality. The state's stance shows that it views single-sex couples as second-class citizens, she added.