Interview with Israeli cabinet minister Matan Kahana – The Forward

In a country like Israel, where regional conflicts and diplomacy are always dominating the headlines, a ministry with seemingly less relevance has caught the attention of Israeli citizens and American Jewry alike.

The ministry for religious services, headed by Matan Kahana, a member of Prime Minister Naftali Bennet’s Yamina Party, has in recent months undergone a major shakeup to change the status quo that had existed for decades on religious issues that define the nature of the Jewish State.

Kahana, 49, is visiting the U.S. on a weeklong trip that is part of an effort to reach out to American Jewry about the government’s desire to reform Israel’s laws concerning conversion, kashrut and other religious practices that are supported by liberal Zionists and the Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism.

The alliance between Israel and Jews in the diaspora had deteriorated under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, primarily due to partisan maneuvers and a lack of tolerance over religious matters.

Kahana’s message is two-fold: Israel is the natural home for all denominations across the spectrum of Judaism while preserving its identity based on the halachah and Orthodox tradition.

“The state of Israel, in principle, is an Orthodox state,” Kahana said in an interview on Sunday, ahead of a meeting with leaders of the Orthodox Union. “At the same time, Israel is a place that respects the rights of all minority groups.”

He called it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to overhaul the system while the Haredi parties, who controlled the ministry and vetoed all reforms when they were part of the government, are not part of the current coalition government. “I am a conservative who believes in the process of evolutions, not revolutions,” he said. “And everyone understands that running too fast on these issues won’t be sustainable and lead to the collapse of the current government.”

Kahana, who describes himself as a close confidante and a longtime friend of the prime minister, said he insisted to be appointed to this position to heal the “societal rift that stems from the sensitive relations between religion and state.”

He argued that the once all-right effort on behalf of the Haredi and religious parties in Israel to maintain the status quo has been eroded by facts on the ground – the changes in society – and led to more polarization. “I think that precisely because I am observant and engaged in Western culture, I could serve as a bridge between the two sides to demonstrate our faith as a uniter, not a divider,” he said. “I deeply believe that Judaism is so wonderful that if we stop imposing it on people, it will be sought after.”

Since taking the helm of the ministry last June, Kahana placed women and academics in all of the country’s local religious councils that oversee religious facilities and services. His recent plans to end the Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly over the kashrut supervision industry to create greater competition – which passed the Knesset last year – and his proposal to reform the state-sponsored process on Orthodox conversion has been met with fierce resistance by leaders…