Most religious Zionists prefer dialogue over legislation to solve Israel's social issues - poll

At Tzohar's annual conference, 79% of religious Zionists backed grassroots dialogue over legislation as the best path to social consensus in Israel.Follow us on GoogleRESIDENTS OF Kfar Yona protest against an ultra-Orthodox demonstration opposing the arrest of Haredi draft evaders near the Beit Lid military prison in central Israel, June 24, 2026.(photo credit: Tal Gal/Flash90)ByAZRIEL MOSKOWITZJULY 27, 2026 13:39The vast majority of religious Zionists favor dialogue leading to social consensus over parliamentary or legal processes to solve Israel’s social issues, a Tzohar poll held during Tuesday’s annual conference revealed.According to the poll, 79% of religious Zionist attendees prefer to solve these issues with grassroots dialogue, whereas only 15% believe these problems can be resolved through new legislation.The conference, which has become an increasingly popular event on the community calendar, follows several significant changes regarding the religion-state dynamic in Israel.On July 14, the Bnei Brak became the first Israeli city to legislate gender-segregated streets, after the municipality decided to turn sections of Shlomo Hamelech and Ezra streets into segregated streets.Earlier that day, the Knesset passed a heavily criticized bill to freeze the arrest of haredi draft dodgers.Survey of attendees finds overwhelming support for social dialogue to increase pride in Jewish identity. (credit: Roey Yehuda)‘There is a huge thirst today for spirituality in Israel’: Tzohar founder saysRabbi David Stav, founder and chair of Tzohar, also addressed the issue of distorted religion perceived by secular Israelis on The Orthodox Conundrum podcast last week.Rabbi Stav explained that there exists a “huge thirst today for spirituality, to understand our story–What is the Jewish story? What are our values?”“And instead of making this window of opportunity a source of inspiration…we take Torah and put it in a place where people feel that Torah is against all human fundamental beliefs,” he added.“The way that Torah is perceived today [by secular Israelis] is that it is not moral, haredi, not realistic, relying on others…something [to which] they don’t want to relate.”“The attendance of thousands of people here today reflects a broad desire of our community to have a voice on key issues of the day,” Rabbi Stav pointed out at the conference.“Our goal with this annual event is to present a chance to discuss topics ranging from personal challenges such as raising children in the modern world, to broader social issues about how we can create a more united Jewish society amidst the many ongoing changes Israel and the Jewish world are experiencing.”The survey was conducted among nearly 3,000 participants at the annual summer conference of the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization, held at the Tel Aviv Expo. It focused on the theme of “For the Sake of Heaven and Earth,” bringing together leading rabbinical, educational and social thinkers to address many of the key issues confronting the religious Zionist community post Oct. 7. Follow us on Google