Rabbi Uri Regev on Israel’s Battle for Religious Freedom, Civil Marriage, and Equality

In this episode of the Tel Aviv Diary Podcast, Marc Schulman speaks with Rabbi Uri Regev, President of Hiddush — Freedom of Religion for Israel — about one of the most important internal battles shaping the future of the Jewish state: the struggle over religion and state.Rabbi Regev, a Reform rabbi, attorney, and longtime legal advocate, discusses his journey from Tel Aviv to the leadership of Israel’s religious freedom movement, the continuing fight for civil marriage, civil burial, gender equality, and the right of Israelis to live free from religious coercion.The conversation also examines the growing power of the ultra-Orthodox parties, state funding for schools that do not teach core curriculum, the draft crisis, and the impact of October 7th and the war on Israeli attitudes toward faith, politics, and democracy.At its heart, this is a discussion about whether Israel can still fulfill the promise of its Declaration of Independence: liberty, justice, equality, and freedom of religion and conscience for all. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcschulman.substack.com/subscribe