Dozens of Tel Aviv synagogues warn they could be shut down after the municipality demanded contracts requiring them to provide “religious services to all residents regardless of age, gender, or belief.”
A fresh storm is brewing between Tel Aviv’s religious communities and the municipality, weeks after the Yom Kippur prayer clashes over gender separation.
According to a Yediot Aharonot report, the city has sent letters to nonprofit associations running roughly 130 synagogues, demanding they sign new contracts to remain in operation. The contracts stipulate that synagogues must provide religious services to all neighborhood residents “regardless of age, gender, or belief.”
Synagogues refusing to comply now face eviction proceedings.
“Secular coercion disguised as equality”
Many of the affected synagogues predate the founding of the State and sit on municipal lands never formally registered. Now, the city seeks to regulate their status with new agreements. But worshippers say the conditions strike at the heart of Jewish tradition.
Attorney David Shub, representing the synagogues pro bono, blasted the clause:
“Signing such a commitment means opening prayers to other streams or even other religions, while prohibiting gender separation. This is secular coercion disguised as equality.”
During a hearing at the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court, a municipal representative argued:
“If a synagogue in a secular neighborhood does not serve the residents, it can be used for other purposes.”
Another city lawyer made clear that noncompliant synagogues would be replaced by different operators.
Court Battles Already Underway
- The “L’zecher Kedoshei Antopol” synagogue has refused to sign and is now battling eviction.
- The “Tiferet Zvi” synagogue was declared a religious endowment by the Rabbinical Court to prevent closure, but the municipality appealed to the High Court of Justice.
Synagogue leaders fear that signing could expose them to lawsuits over gender discrimination, or even judicial intervention into how prayers are conducted.
Municipality Response
In a statement, Tel Aviv Municipality defended the move:
“The agreement is intended to ensure there is no discrimination or exclusion in a synagogue operating on public land. This is not unusual, but a standard contractual arrangement.”
A Clash of Principles
Community leaders warn the fallout could be historic:
“If this demand passes, it will mean one thing — the systematic silencing of Jewish tradition in the name of equality. Synagogues will be forced to choose between halakha and survival.”
The showdown pits religious freedom against municipal authority, raising profound questions about the character of Tel Aviv — and the future of Judaism in Israel’s most secular city.
