Michele Chabin
Michele Chabin is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Michele Chabin
Israel’s Supreme Court: Public ritual baths must accept non-Orthodox, too
By Michele Chabin — February 14, 2016
JERUSALEM (RNS) Until now, the Orthodox officials who administer all government-funded mikvahs have barred non-Orthodox converts.
Western Wall deal hailed by US Jewish groups
By Michele Chabin — February 1, 2016
JERUSALEM (RNS) Many Jews contested the status quo, in which prayer at the Wall followed only the strictest interpretation of Jewish law.
Breaking a taboo, some ultra-Orthodox Israeli men look for work
By Michele Chabin — January 25, 2016
BNEI BRAK, Israel (RNS) More than half of ultra-Orthodox families live below the poverty line. A new program helps train men who spent their days studying Torah enter the workforce.
Israel’s ‘Religious Zionists’ grapple with extremists in their midst
By Michele Chabin — January 19, 2016
ESH KODESH, West Bank (RNS) Are the Jewish youths accused of murdering three Palestinians simply high school dropouts rebelling against authority? Or is the Modern Orthodox settler movement turning to violence?
Novel depicting Jewish-Arab love banned from Israeli schools
By Michele Chabin — December 31, 2015
JERUSALEM (RNS) A ministry committee recommended that the book not be taught in high schools at a time of heightened Palestinian attacks against Israeli Jews and reprisals by Israeli troops.
Tel Aviv’s bus depot now a hub for Christmas trees and Santa suits
By Michele Chabin — December 22, 2015
TEL AVIV, Israel (RNS) As the population of Christian foreign workers and asylum seekers has grown in Israel, so, too, has the demand for Christmas-related merchandise.
Let women light Hanukkah candles at Western Wall, Israeli official says
By Michele Chabin — December 2, 2015
JERUSALEM (RNS) "Preventing the participation of women in state ceremonies, such as the ceremony in our case, just because they are women, is unacceptable discrimination,” Israel's deputy attorney general said.
End ban on women reading Torah at Western Wall, group petitions
By Michele Chabin — November 30, 2015
JERUSALEM (RNS) An Israeli women’s rights organization says the administrator of the Western Wall lacks the legal authority to withhold Torah scrolls from any Jewish worshipper.
Palestinian Authority limits Christmas celebrations in West Bank
By Michele Chabin — November 30, 2015
BETHLEHEM (RNS) The Palestinian Authority has asked the municipality of Bethlehem not to set off holiday fireworks this year and to limit the festive lights and decorations to two main streets.
Jewish publishers seek new models in struggling industry
By Michele Chabin — November 12, 2015
(RNS) Nearly 60 percent of Jewish media outlets receive at least some funding from their local Jewish federations, which support Jewish institutions in North America and Israel.
Violence tears Jerusalem’s Jewish and Arab neighbors
By Michele Chabin — October 23, 2015
JERUSALEM — For many Palestinians “the last source of hope is religion," said a Palestinian journalist. "And when that was tampered with by Israeli right-wing ministers calling for the destruction of Al-Aqsa and the building of the Jewish temple in its place, the people's patience burst."
Religious Jews target of latest attacks by Palestinians
By Michele Chabin — October 13, 2015
JERUSALEM (RNS) While no one tracks the number of religious vs. secular Jews who have been injured or killed in attacks, religious Jews are thought to be repeat victims.
Netanyahu prohibits Israeli parliament from visiting Temple Mount
By Michele Chabin — October 8, 2015
JERUSALEM (RNS) The prime minister's decision aims to defuse the wave of Palestinian violence that has struck Israel and the West Bank during the past few weeks.
Overlapping holidays prompt Jerusalem activists to work on overcoming divisions
By Michele Chabin — September 22, 2015
JERUSALEM (RNS) Putting aside bitterness and engaging in coexistence work, a group of Jews, Christians and Muslims gathered to better understand Yom Kippur and Eid al-Adha, which coincide this week.
Jerusalem mayor takes tough stand against Al-Aqsa rock throwers as skirmish escalates
By Michele Chabin — September 17, 2015
JERUSALEM (RNS) Televised footage of Israeli riot police clashing with the stone-throwing mosque-goers standing behind iron barricades sparked outrage in the Muslim world.
