Israel’s new government has taken aim at the country’s powerful religious establishment with a pair of reforms that would chip away at the tight grip of the country's chief rabbinate on many aspects of daily life.
The reforms, which address rules on kosher food and conversions to Judaism, make only modest changes to current practices. But they have nonetheless sparked protests and outrage from religious leaders, underscoring the rabbis' power and the deep divide between Israel's observant and secular communities.
