The Ministry of Religious Services (), formerly the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Ministry of Religions, is a government ministry of Israel that handles Jewish 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 religious schools and yeshivas; plans, and finances, the construction and renovation of synagogues and ritual baths; supervises 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 under-privileged youth; provides Jewish ritual articles to new immigrants, schools, and the needy; and provides budgets for the Chief Rabbinate and rabbinical courts.
History The Ministry was included in the provisional government, and was initially known as the Ministry of Religions and War Victims. Upon the formation of the second government on 8 October 1951 it became the Ministry of Religions. On 5 August 1981 it was renamed the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
In 2003, the Ministry of Religious Affairs was abolished. Its departments were split between other ministries while the newly-established National Authority for Religious Services within the Prime Minister's Office took its place. The Prime Mnister's Office was also placed in charge of executing several laws which mentioned the ministry. Between 2006 and 2008, Yitzhak Cohen served as a minister in the Prime Minister's Office, and was responsible for Religious Services. The ministry was re-established in 2008 as the Ministry of Religious Services.
List of ministers The Religious Services Minister of Israel (, Sar LeShirutei Dat) is the political head of the Ministry of Religious Services and a relatively minor position in the Israeli cabinet.
Most office holders have been religious Jews, though some were secular. Haim Yosef Zadok, 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 was the longest serving minister, holding the post for over 12 years between 1961 and 1974. In Benjamin Netanyahu's government the portfolio changed hands six times, with four people holding the post (Netanyahu three times and Eli Suissa twice).
#MinisterPartyGovernmentTerm startTerm endNotesMinister of Religions1Yehuda Leib MaimonMizrachiUnited Religious FrontP, 1, 214 May 19488 October 19512Haim-Moshe ShapiraHapoel HaMizrachiNational Religious Party3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 88 October 19511 July 19583Ya'akov Moshe ToledanoNot an MK8, 93 December 195815 October 1960Died in office4Zerach WarhaftigNational Religious Party10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 152 November 196110 March 19745Yitzhak RafaelNational Religious Party1610 March 19743 June 19746Haim Yosef ZadokAlignment173 June 197429 October 1974–Yitzhak RafaelNational Religious Party1730 October 197422 December 1976–Haim Yosef ZadokAlignment1716 January 197720 June 19777Aharon AbuhatziraNational Religious Party1820 June 19775 August 1981Minister of Religious Affairs8Yosef BurgNational Religious Party19, 205 August 198113 September 19849Shimon PeresAlignment2113 September 198423 December 1984–Yosef BurgNational Religious Party2113 September 19845 October 198610Zevulun HammerNational Religious Party21, 22, 237 October 198611 June 199011Avner ShakiNational Religious Party2411 June 199013 July 199212Yitzhak RabinLabor Party2513 July 199227 February 199513Shimon ShetreetLabor Party25, 2627 February 199518 June 199614Benjamin NetanyahuLikud2718 June 19967 August 199615Eli SuissaShas277 August 199612 August 1997–Benjamin NetanyahuLikud2712 August 199722 August 1997–Zevulun HammerNational Religious Party2722 August 199720 January 1998Died in office–Benjamin NetanyahuLikud2720 January 199825 February 199816Yitzhak LevyNational Religious Party2725 February 199813 September 1998–Eli SuissaShas2713 September 19986 July 199917Yitzhak CohenShas286 July 199911 July 200018Yossi BeilinOne Israel2811 October 20007 March 200119Asher OhanaNot an MK297 March 200128 February 200320Ariel SharonLikud3028 February 200331 December 2003Minister of Religious Services–Yitzhak CohenShas3114 January 200831 March 200921Ya'akov MargiShas3231 March 200918 March 201322Naftali BennettThe Jewish Home3318 March 201314 May 201523David AzulaiShas3414 May 201530 October 2018Died in office24Aryeh DeriShas3414 October 201831 December 201825Yitzhak VakninShas341 January 2019 17 May 2020 26Ya'akov AvitanShas (Not an MK)35 17 May 2020 13 June 2021 27Matan KahanaYamina 36 13 June 2021 15 May 2022–Naftali BennettYamina 36 15 May 2022 15 August 2022 28Michael MalchieliShas 37 29 December 2022 17 July 2025 –Benjamin NetanyahuLikud 37 July 2025 July 2025 29Yariv LevinLikud 37 29 July 2025
Deputy ministers #MinisterPartyGovernmentTerm startTerm end1Zerach WarhaftigHapoel HaMizrachi45 January 195326 January 1954–Zerach WarhaftigNational Religious Party7, 89 January 19561 July 19582Binyamin ShahorNational Religious Party13, 141 February 196617 November 19693Haim DrukmanNational Religious Party1911 August 19812 March 19824Moshe GafniDegel HaTorah2423 July 199013 July 19925Rafael PinhasiShas2531 December 199214 September 19936Aryeh GamlielShas2713 August 199622 August 1997–Aryeh GamlielShas2724 August 199720 January 1998–Aryeh GamlielShas2725 February 19986 July 19997Yigal BibiNational Religious Party2713 August 199620 January 1998–Yigal BibiNational Religious Party2725 February 19986 July 1999–Yigal BibiNational Religious Party285 August 199912 July 20008Eli Ben-DahanThe Jewish Home3318 March 201314 May 20159Matan KahanaYamina3616 May 202215 August 2022
References
External links
Gov.il: Ministry of Religious Services