Rachel Azaria works for balance in Israel's religious conflicts
Rachel Azaria’s office is sparsely but intentionally decorated with a Hebrew translation of Martin Luther King Jr.’s biography and a framed photo of her role model, Hillary Clinton.
Before she became a member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, Azaria spent her childhood shuttling between the United States and Israel. This has led her to try to quell the conflicts between American and Israeli Jews over questions of religious practice.
Azaria, 38, adapts her Orthodox Judaism to Israeli secular life. Since March 2015, she has represented the center-left Kulanu party and has been described as the only member of Israel’s 66-member coalition government willing to challenge the ultra-Orthodox monopoly in determining family rights issues and issues of religion and state.
