JTA: How Ayelet Shaked, a secular woman, came to dominate the right-wing religious camp in Israel

Quoted in a JTA article, featured across the Jewish and Israeli media and selected by Mosaic Magazine as an Editors’ Pick

“The answer depends on who you ask, but Ayelet Shaked seems to have a good deal of acceptance across much of the national religious sector,” agreed Yehoshua Oz, senior adviser at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.

“Of course, the national religious camp is far more complex than some assume,” he continued, citing a 2014 Israel Democracy Institute study showing that “21 percent of Israelis identify as part of the national-religious sector, and that group has a lot of variety in their views and beliefs across a number of issues.”

“What does seem to unite the national religious are political issues, such as considering themselves right-of-center (78%) and believing the Law of Return should only [extend citizenship] to those who are Jewish according to Jewish law (83%),” or halacha, he said.