The Journal "De'ot"

De'ot, the journal of Ne'emanei Torah vaAvodah, was established to provide the Israeli religious community with the opportunity to discuss issues and problems that are often ignored as the cultural and religious discourse within Israel's religious sector becomes increasingly homogeneous and limited in its approach. De’ot provides a medium for the opinions of many unconventional thinkers and encourages discussion on social and educational topics that are generally considered taboo.

The views published in De’ot all have their roots in traditional Halacha but are open and sensitive to the social issues of the day. Thus, De'ot was the first journal to address topics such as the participation of women in synagogue services and Torah-reading, homosexuality in the religious community, domestic violence among religious couples, Halachic rulings regarding the use of Internet, and pre-marital relationships— all explored within a religious context. The journal also publishes essays on Jewish-Israeli identity and explores innovative ideas on ways to reshape religious Zionism and maintain its relevance. Its contributors represent the entire spectrum of religious Zionist thought. The unique nature of the journal and its message has been a positive factor in advancing pluralism within the orthodox community.

 Five issues of De'ot are published annually at a total cost of $33,000. The journal receives $10,000 in support from the Education Ministry and $6,250 from the Religious Kibbutz Movement. The remainder comes from subscription fees, advertising, and contributions by members of the movement. Plans are to expand the number of annual issues to nine, three of which would be in English. We believe that the English speaking audience has much to contribute to the beliefs that are presented in this journal and we feel that it is vital to bring them into this dialogue. This expansion will entail an additional cost of $30,000.