Ne’emanei Torah Va’Avodah (NTA; , "Loyalists of Torah and Labor") is a nonprofit organization in Israel that focuses on education research and policy in the Religious Zionist community. The organization supports democratizing the State-controlled religious services, so that the public plays a greater role in religious decision making and functions.Mandel, Jonah. "Group Petitions Court to Halt Vote on Jerusalem Chief Rabbi" in The Jerusalem Post March 30, 2011. Citation at http://archive.jewishwave.com/wave/religion-and-state-in-israel/page/4/

History

In the late 1970s, religious parents in Israel were concerned about aggressive secularization of the religious public school system. In light of this, parent organizations emerged to establish separate religious public school institutions. In primary school education, the "Noam" network was first established, and then later in post-primary a group connected to Bnei Akiva established the Ulpana (pl. Ulpanot) high school institution for religious girls. Facing this organization of parent groups, who wanted to separate and strengthen the religious aspect of public school education, a counter-ideological group emerged from the foundation of "Torah and Avodah", who feared the consequences of seclusion in separate institutions and the extremism in religious education that could lead, in their opinion, to religious education deviating from religious Zionism.Dagan, Matityahu. "The Development of MAMAD Education," in Hachinuch Hazioni Hadati Bi'mivchan Ha'Zman Ve'Hatekufa(in Hebrew) (Defense Min. and Michlelet Lipshitz, 2006) https://www.daat.ac.il/daat/chinuch/toldot/hitpathut-2.htm

Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah was founded in 1978 as one of these counter-ideological groups. It was especially concerned about the reduction of secular studies in the religious public school and the move to separate the sexes in elementary school education. The name Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah stems from its connection to the slogan, “Torah and Avodah” of religious Zionism.Tur-Paz, Moshe. In ATID News, (Spring 2004). http://www.atid.org/newsletter/newsletter%2011-3.pdf The religious Zionists of Hapoel Hamizrachi stressed that “Torah and Avodah” means that there is responsibility to demand social justice in every aspect of society.

After its founding, NTA became active in other social and religious issues. In 1987, NTA lobbied for equal rights for women in religious councils. It was a litigant in the legal case before the Supreme Court of Israel, arguing that Leah Shakdiel must be allowed to serve on the local religious council in Yeruham.An abstract in English of the Supreme Court of Israel ruling may be found here: https://versa.cardozo.yu.edu/opinions/shakdiel-v-minister-religious-affairs

In 1995, following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the leadership of NTA called for religious children to be educated to think critically about important topics and not to be pulled toward fundamentalism.Gilyon 24 November 1995 https://toravoda.org.il/Gilyon In 2012 NTA organized an alternative rally to remember Prime Minister Rabin for national religious youth.Sharon, Jeremy. "Rabin's Daughter Criticizes National Religious School System," in The Jerusalem Post, October 26, 2015. https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Rabins-daughter-criticizes-national-religious-school-system-for-not-visiting-Rabin-Center-430094

In 2014 the organization was involved in attempts to decentralize the hierarchical model of the Chief Rabbi and represented Rabbi Avi Weiss when the Chief Rabbinate of Israel rejected his authority on conversion to Judaism.Weiss, Avi. "Rein in Israel's Rabbinate" in The New York Times, January 29, 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/opinion/rein-in-israels-rabbinate.html In 2019, NTA launched an online interview portal, “The Room for Questions” (Heb. Cheder Ha'shelot). “The Room for Questions” features leading contemporary religious figures answering existential and halakhic questions for adolescents and parents.Lukash, Alexander. "How do I Search for Repentance but Find No Answer," in www.ynet.co.il August 20, 2019. https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5572543,00.html

Religious leadership The organization is guided by male and female religious and lay leaders. NTA emphasizes the responsibility of religious autonomy in halakhic decision making.See "Rabbinical Authority vs. Personal Responsibility in Religious Zionism" in Etzah Laderech (Hebrew) by Rabbbi Yitzchak Ben-David (NTA:2010) NTA partners with rabbinic organizations outside Israel to strengthen the relation to Jews of the Diaspora. It has partnered with the International Rabbinic Fellowship to support the rights of Orthodox rabbis around the world.

Administration In 2020 the Chairman of Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avoda is Assaf Benmelech. Shmuel Shattach served as CEO from 2008 until 2024. In 2024, Elad Caplan was named as the new CEO.https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/as-schusterman-ends-roi-program-members-expect-continued-return-on-investment-but-worry-about-investment-outside-israel-and-u-s/ Rabbi Ronen Lubich is the President.

Education

NTA supports open admissions to religious public schools and opposes elitist admissions processes that filter out students from religious government public schools based on the students' social or family background."Here is How they Filter Students" in Srugim April 7, 2016. https://www.srugim.co.il/144833-%D7%9B%D7%9A-%D7%9E%D7%A1%D7%A0%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9E%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%99%D7%98%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8-%D7%94 The organization works with religious public school administrators and parents to set inclusive policies.See for e.g. its work on inclusive textbooks in Israeli religious school education. https://www.nifcan.org/featured-activists-shmuel-shattach2/ NTA has opposed racist policies in the admissions process to Israeli schools. In 2019 the organization stated: "Over the past three years, the [education] minister has certified a number of Talmud Torah schools that directly and indirectly screen students of low socioeconomic status and of Ethiopian descent." "The government should narrow its support for private institutions, which harm public education in Israel," the movement said.

NTA reinforces the values of Torah and Avodah by teaching the social responsibility of the religious population within the broader national context.See Finkelman, Yoel. "Secular Zionism through the Eyes of a Religious Zionist Parashat Hashavua Pamphlet," p.343 https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/749587/dr-yoel-finkelman/it-s-a-small-small-world-secular-zionism-through-the-eyes-of-a-religious-zionist-parashat-hashavua-pamphlet/and download available at https://nli.academia.edu/YoelFinkelman In the religious Zionist school system, it emphasizes that religious schools should be public—open to all without elitism or discrimination. It promotes mathematics and science study in the religious school network. In the youth movement sector, it supports the continuation of traditional Torah and Avoda values, specifically in the Bnei Akiva youth movement. NTA believes that youth groups such as Bnei Akiva should model social responsibility with equal opportunities for both genders to participate fully in religious life, without taking any particular political stances. The organization provides educational seminars for youth and adults on Torah learning for women and the integration of women into the Israel Defense Forces.NTA's position on integration stands against ultra-Orthodox perspectives. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/a-quarter-of-young-religious-women-enlisting-in-the-idf-study-finds-574572

Religious activism

The movement supports comprehensive reforms in the religious services in the State of Israel. NTA is a leading advocate for change in the structure of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel's office. The movement believes that the Chief Rabbi should occupy an important spiritual role in the public, but with diminished power to exercise religious coercion over the general public. The organization has led efforts for changes in the process of religious conversions.See the comments of Dr. Hanan Mendel, the former chairman of NTA in Jpost https://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Conversion-in-Israel-Where-are-we-heading-513873 The organization has called for comprehensive reform of the rabbinical court system with communities electing their own religious leaders. NTA advocates for reforms in the laws regulating marriage in Israel. NTA advocates for a solution for the thousands of Israeli citizens who are unable to marry in Israel because of religious law restrictions.Sharon, Jeremy. "Recent Trend Shows Marriage on the Wane in Israel," in www.Jpost.com https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Recent-trend-shows-Jewish-marriage-on-the-wane-in-Israel-540140 NTA criticized Rabbi Shlomo Aviner for comments that they said objectified women. The organization stated: "our children's educational institutions [should] not have male rabbis or educators who will address our daughters in such a way."Jpost editorial, October 15, 2019. "Leave Girls Alone" www.jpost.com https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/leave-girls-alone-604628 NTA has supported gender equality in religious publications for the religious school system.Kadari-Ovadia, Shira. "Israeli Religious Schools Don't Show Women as Role Models," Haaretz, June 17, 2019. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2019-06-17/ty-article/.premium/religious-israeli-schools-dont-show-women-as-role-models/0000017f-eabf-d4a6-af7f-feffc8310000 It is active in community-building projects to strengthen religious schools and the neighborhoods around them. The organization supports the rights of religious women to serve in the IDF.Sela, Yifat. Religious Women Certainly May Serve in the IDF" (In Hebrew) http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART1/911/441.html archived article on NTA website: https://toravoda.org.il/%d7%91%d7%a0%d7%95%d7%aa-%d7%93%d7%aa%d7%99%d7%95%d7%aa-%d7%91%d7%94%d7%97%d7%9c%d7%98-%d7%99%d7%9b%d7%95%d7%9c%d7%95%d7%aa-%d7%9c%d7%a9%d7%a8%d7%aa-%d7%91%d7%a6%d7%94%d7%9c/ On the kashrut front, the organization advocates reform of kosher policies that make it difficult for restaurants open on Shabbat to be considered kosher. Responding to the Sephardic Chief Rabbi's critical remarks about conversion therapy, Ronen Lubich, the president of NTA stated that this reflects and "unhealthy obsession" and the rabbis should strive for "inclusion and respect" for the LGBT community.

Criticism