New Addition to Gadi Eisenkot's Party Sparks Debate on Religion and State
Activist Alex Rif's joining of Gadi Eisenkot's party raises coalition questions due to her past critical statements on religious establishment, marriage, and burial laws.
A recent political alignment has sparked intense debate regarding the future of potential coalitions, as social activist Alex Rif joins Gadi Eisenkot's party. Rif's past statements concerning religion and state affairs have brought her views into direct conflict with the traditional positions held by ultra-Orthodox political factions.
Among her notable positions, Rif has advocated for reforms in Israel's burial arrangements to allow non-halachic victims of hostile acts to be buried within Jewish sections under specific circumstances. Furthermore, she has openly criticized rabbis who oppose military conscription, questioning their authority to make determinations on matters of Jewish identity and religious law.
Addressing the institution of marriage, Rif shared her personal experience during a 2021 Knesset debate, stating that she chose not to marry through the Chief Rabbinate to spare her family from what she termed a humiliating process. She has also voiced sharp criticism of the state conversion apparatus and the religious establishment's handling of immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
In May 2024, Rif criticized religious authorities for failing to properly integrate immigrants from former Soviet countries into Jewish society. Sharing her broader vision in April 2024 through a project by the Jewish People Policy Institute, she defined a Jewish state as one that behaves in a manner respectful of all Jews.
