Religion and state in Europe and Israel

In: Israel affairs, Band 6, Heft 2: Parties, S. 65-84

Abstract

The author delineates four basic models of church and state relations in the democratic world and applies them to both Europe and Israel: the established church model (England, Greece, Sweden); the strict separation model (France, the Netherlands, Russia); the recognized communities model, or the "German" model (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Belgium); the endorsed church model (Italy, Spain, Poland, Armenia, Ireland). Relations between religion and state in Israel are in some ways close to the recognized communities and the established church models. Israeli democracy is not different from the European democracies in terms of freedom "of" religion, but in terms of freedom "from" religion. Conclusion: "In Europe, the trend is away from less democratic, less liberal and less egalitarian separationist and established church models. Increased religious legislation and the increased political strength of the Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox in Israel seem to suggest that Israel is moving in a different direction." (DÜI-Hns)